New Delhi: The Pentagon has changed how it reports American military casualties from the war with Iran, placing deaths and injuries recorded since fighting resumed 7 July on a separate webpage from those attributed to the conflict that began in February.
The revised accounting system means that determining the war’s full human toll now requires combining figures from two different Defense Department webpages.Under the new system, the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System lists casualties from the initial phase of the conflict under ‘Operation Epic Fury’, while those recorded from 7 July appear under a category titled “overseas operations casualties”.
The change reflects US President Donald Trump’s position that the renewed hostilities constitute a separate conflict rather than a continuation of the war launched alongside Israel in late February.The altered reporting system comes amid a broader conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran that began 28 February. A ceasefire negotiated under a 17 June MoU began to unravel 7 July, with Trump declaring 8 July that he believed the agreement was “over” as hostilities resumed. Trump formally notified Congress on 10 July that hostilities with Iran had resumed.The Pentagon Sunday also raised the number of US service members wounded since 7 July to 207—which is 142 more than previously reported. This brings the total number wounded to 624.The official toll now stands at 18, including four service members killed after the ceasefire faltered and fighting escalated in early July.
