US troop deaths in Iran war on rise? Pentagon reveals latest toll

The Pentagon has officially updated its count of US service members who have been killed in the war with Iran to 21 from the previous figure of 18. This come after a Washington Post report last month said that Iran war has led to more casualties of the US troops than previously claimed by the Pentagon publicly.

The report cited six US officials familiar with the Defense Department’s internal casualty accounting data, who put the number at 22, four ​more than were listed in the data available on the Pentagon's public database earlier.

The latest update to the US’s Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) includes the two noncombat deaths of Army National Guard Maj. Sorffly Davius, who died in Kuwait in March, and an unidentified Navy suicide, reported The Washington Post.

After the media house reported of Pentagon hiding the actual number of casualties, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied the report and called it "a complete LIE."

Taking to X Hegseth wrote, “This is DISGUSTING and FAKE. A complete LIE."

He further criticised the newspaper saying, “Shame on the Washington Post — they’re worse than Iranian state media.”

US facing shortfall of munitions?

Other than human casualties, the US is also facing munition shortfall. On Spetember 14, the inspector general of the Defense Department of the United States in its report had said that the conflict with Iran has led to a shortfall of US munitions and “bottlenecks” in supply chains and that Washington is working to replenish weaponry.

“Pentagon is working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times, and to stockpile critical materials, components, and selected munitions to respond rapidly to a contingency,” said the report.