The Pentagon has not disclosed the deaths of at least four additional service members who have died in the Middle East amid the ongoing military operations in Iran, The Washington Post reported Friday.
The Defense Department has faced questions about its transparency regarding the number of military fatalities and injuries that have been released regarding the war in Iran, which has lasted for nearly seven months with no clear end in sight. In July, The New York Times reported that the Pentagon did not disclose an episode of three Iranian strikes in Jordan that injured dozens of service members.
Details remain unclear on the four additional deaths that have not been disclosed, including when and how they died, officials told the Post, which said it granted the officials anonymity to discuss the matter. One official told the outlet that not all of the deaths are directly related to the Iran war but have involved American personnel who were present in the Middle East during hostilities.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Sun, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the Post’s report.
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“This is DISGUSTING and FAKE,” he wrote on X. “Shame on the Washington Post — they’re worse than Iranian state media.”
The Pentagon’s casualty database says at least 18 American service members have died and more than 400 troops have been injured in the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel began strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The Pentagon classified four of the 18 deaths as “Overseas Operation” given that they occurred after the Trump administration reached a ceasefire deal with Iran.
The ceasefire has since collapsed due to ongoing violence in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon also has been slow to acknowledge destruction of military infrastructure caused by Iranian attacks. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told The Epoch Times earlier this month that the Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain sustained extensive damage following repeated Iranian attacks since February, despite the Pentagon initially saying these strikes have not significantly disrupted operations.
This article has been updated with a post from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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