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Breaking: Pentagon Confirms 140 US Troops Wounded in Iran Conflict
The Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed that approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on February 28 .
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell provided the casualty figures in an official statement, marking the clearest accounting to date of American losses in the 11-day-old conflict .
Casualty Breakdown
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Total wounded | ~140 |
| Returned to duty | 108 |
| Seriously injured | 8 |
| Killed in action | 7 |
“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” Parnell said. “Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care” .
The wounded troops have been injured in retaliatory Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. military installations across the Middle East since the conflict began .
🇺🇸 American Fatalities
Seven U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict:
- Six Army Reservists died in an Iranian drone strike at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port in the opening days of the war. President Trump presided over a solemn ceremony at Dover Air Force Base honoring their return .
- Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Saturday from wounds sustained in a March 1 strike on a Saudi military base where American troops were stationed .
Updated Figures
Earlier Tuesday, Reuters reported that as many as 150 U.S. troops may have been wounded, citing two sources familiar with the matter . White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the 150 figure was “in the ballpark” .
The Pentagon subsequently issued its official estimate of approximately 140 wounded, with 108 having already returned to duty .
Congressional Response
The casualty disclosure came as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and other lawmakers demanded public hearings on the administration’s war strategy .
In a letter to President Trump, the senators wrote: “Eleven days ago, the American people unexpectedly found themselves at war with Iran. Since then, despite the public’s overwhelming concern about this war, your administration has provided shifting, and at times conflicting, objectives” .
The lawmakers also noted that gas prices have spiked about 20 percent since the conflict began, with crude oil surging past $100 per barrel .
Context
Iran has launched sustained retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases and diplomatic missions throughout the Gulf region since the conflict began . The Pentagon says the number of Iranian attacks has fallen sharply in recent days as U.S. forces target Iranian missile launchers and weapons inventories .
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Tuesday that while Iranian forces are fighting, they are not “more formidable than what we thought” when drawing up war plans .
