WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has revised its casualty figures for the ongoing conflict with Iran, confirming that approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded during the first ten days of the war. The acknowledgement comes after Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that as many as 150 troops had been injured—a figure far higher than the Pentagon’s previously disclosed count of eight seriously wounded .
In a statement released following the Reuters report, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell provided a detailed breakdown of the injuries sustained since the beginning of “Operation Epic Fury” on Feb. 28. Parnell emphasized that the vast majority of the injuries were minor, with 108 of the affected personnel already having returned to duty .
“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” Parnell said. He further clarified that the eight service members previously reported as seriously wounded are receiving the highest level of medical care .
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later corroborated the updated figure, telling reporters that the number of wounded troops was “in the ballpark” of 150 .
The conflict has also been deadly. At least seven U.S. service members have been killed, including six Army reservists who died in an Iranian drone strike on a logistics base in Kuwait and Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Kentucky, who succumbed to injuries sustained in an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia .
The discrepancy in the casualty count highlights the intense and ongoing nature of the retaliatory strikes launched by Iran. Since the start of the conflict, Iran has targeted U.S. military bases, diplomatic missions, and infrastructure across the region using missiles and drones . While the Pentagon reports that the number of Iranian strikes has decreased as the U.S. military targets weapons inventories and launchers, the human toll continues to mount .
