Iran War Casualties Increase as Pentagon Quietly Changes Its Math

The Pentagon has once again changed the Iran war casualty number, adding 142 new wounded soldiers to its count over the weekend—bringing the total to 624 wounded service members and 18 deaths.

The way the Pentagon is reporting the numbers is tricky, splitting the casualty tolls into two separate pages. One page on “Operation Epic Fury” has a casualty count starting on February 28, and another page, titled “Overseas Operations,” begins the count on July 7, when the short-lived ceasefire fell apart and bombings ramped back up. The move raises concerns that the Pentagon is willfully obscuring the numbers to make its failure of a forever war look better on paper.

The Pentagon faced backlash last week after it reduced its casualty totals from 482 wounded and 18 dead. And while Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez told media the reduction was due to “temporary data disruptions,” the Trump administration has refused to include four soldiers killed in recent days in the page on Operation Epic Fury’s death toll.

The Pentagon has been credibly accused of downplaying the severity and number of casualties in the war on Iran. In March, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth referred to an Iranian strike on a U.S. makeshift operations center in Kuwait as “a squirter,” and later whined that coverage of dead troops was only intended to “make the president look bad.” Six soldiers were killed in that strike, with over 30 hospitalized for burns, shrapnel wounds, and brain trauma. And last month, the Pentagon classified soldiers who suffered severe brain injuries in that attack as having “minor” injuries, causing their families to speak out against that decision.

This lack of transparency from the Pentagon is strategic, and ultimately foolish. This war is only dragging on as it grows increasingly unpopular. That will undoubtedly lead to more wounded soldiers and more body bags. Those are impossible to hide. ...