Nearly 100 troops injured in Iran conflict: Pentagon
ES Mag:
Lahore:The Pentagon has revealed that nearly 100 US service members have been injured since July 7 as military hostilities between the United States and Iran continue to escalate across the Middle East.
The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny over the military’s handling of casualty disclosures and as both countries exchange increasingly deadly attacks.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said nearly 100 US service members have suffered “some degree of injury” since July 7, 2026, following multiple Iranian strikes targeting American military installations across the region.
In a statement posted on X and shared with CBS News, Parnell said 96% of the injured troops have already returned to active duty, adding that the vast majority suffered minor concussions.
“They are determined to get back in the fight,” Parnell wrote while rejecting allegations that the Pentagon had concealed casualty figures.
Pentagon rejects claims of withholding casualties
Parnell’s statement came in response to a New York Times report alleging that the Pentagon withheld information about dozens of US military injuries sustained during the conflict with Iran.
The Pentagon spokesperson dismissed the allegations, accusing the newspaper of spreading false claims.
“The Department of War rejects these baseless and malicious accusations of hiding injury numbers as outright lies from partisan hacks at the New York Times who are desperate to smear America’s military and its leadership,” Parnell wrote.
The New York Times stood by its reporting.
Spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said the newspaper’s report was based on information from several US officials speaking anonymously about operational matters. She said the reporting found that the Pentagon did not publicly disclose several Iranian attacks on US forces, nor the casualties and damage they caused.
CNN also reported that the US military had been slow to disclose troop injuries, saying officials argued the delay was intended to protect service members.
Undisclosed Iranian attacks injured dozens of troops
According to The New York Times, Iran carried out three separate strikes against US forces in Jordan during the week before the major Iranian attack that killed two American soldiers and left another service member missing.
US officials told the newspaper that those earlier attacks injured dozens of service members and damaged several military helicopters.
The Pentagon reportedly did not publicly disclose those attacks, the casualties, or the extent of the damage.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), in statements following retaliatory strikes on Iranian military targets last week, said the operations were in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. However, it did not mention Iranian attacks on American military bases in Jordan or elsewhere in the region.
The latest developments have renewed debate over balancing operational security with the government’s responsibility to keep the public informed during wartime.
Iranian attacks follow collapse of ceasefire
The latest surge in violence follows the collapse of a month-long ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
The United States has conducted nightly airstrikes against Iranian military targets for more than a week, saying the operations are intended to stop Iran from attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has responded by launching strikes against facilities and military bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and other countries hosting US military assets.
Another report noted that the exchange of attacks has continued despite a Pakistani-brokered framework agreement signed in June that sought to end the conflict and pave the way for a lasting peace settlement.
Two US soldiers killed in Jordan
The Pentagon announced the deaths of First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, who were killed in Iranian attacks on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
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