Intercept: U.S. Conceals Real Casualty Figures in Conflict with Iran

The Pentagon has concealed the true figures of dead and wounded among U.S. forces in the war against Iran, according to a report by an American media outlet.

In a report published Tuesday, the magazine The Intercept claimed that casualties are significantly higher than the officially announced figures and that hundreds of cases have not been recorded in the official system. The publication reported that, according to official figures from the Department of Defense (the Pentagon), the total number of dead and wounded U.S. troops has reached 423 individuals. This reflects only three new injuries compared to the figures released last Friday.

In this regard, the outlet maintained that its investigations show the Pentagon's official numbers are significantly lower than reality. One U.S. official characterized this discrepancy as the result of a "cover-up of casualties." According to the report, the official casualty registration system of the U.S. Department of Defense, known as DCAS, has failed to include hundreds of already known cases in its statistics. The report cited the case of Sorfeli Davious, a communications officer for the U.S. Army National Guard who died in March at a camp in Kuwait. His name still does not appear on the Pentagon's official list of deceased, despite his death having been confirmed by U.S. authorities.

The Intercept also reported that the Pentagon's official figures do not include more than 200 U.S. sailors who suffered respiratory problems and injuries following a fire on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, emphasizing that these cases have not been counted as casualties. Furthermore, it noted that another sailor was injured on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during the war against Iran, but his name is also missing from official statistics.

The report emphasized that at the time of the ceasefire between Iran and the United States on April 8, the number of American dead and wounded stood at 385. Despite a relative reduction in combat, this figure gradually increased to 428. The magazine also pointed out that on April 21, the Pentagon, without any public explanation, reduced the number of wounded personnel by 15, lowering the total casualty count from 428 to 413.

Consequently, the report calls into question a statement from United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which declared that 13 U.S. service members died in the military intervention against Iran, and that another service member died due to a "non-combat related medical condition." The American media outlet stressed that the Pentagon has gone weeks without responding to questions regarding why non-combat related injuries and illnesses have been excluded from official casualty statistics.

On February 28, the U.S.-Israeli military aggression against Iran began with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders. Iranian forces responded by launching approximately one hundred missile and drone operations against targets in Israeli-occupied territories, as well as against U.S. military bases and assets throughout the region.