U.S. officials say Iran attacks caused higher troop casualties than Pentagon reports
A senior U.S. official said recent Iranian missile and drone strikes in the Middle East wounded far more service members than the Pentagon’s public casualty count shows, including three soldiers killed in Jordan.
Recent Iranian missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait resulted in the first combat deaths for U.S. forces since a cease-fire collapsed in June, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said three Army soldiers were killed in ballistic missile strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, naming Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, and Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, while a third soldier remains missing but is believed to be among unidentified remains recovered at the site. The attacks also injured between four and ten troops in Jordan, the official added.
In northern Iraq, a U.S. service member was killed and another wounded when ordnance from a downed Iranian drone exploded, which CENTCOM described as occurring during a controlled detonation of the aircraft. The official said the overall U.S. casualty count has risen to at least 446, a more than 15 percent increase since the April 8 cease-fire, and that “dozens” of additional personnel have received medical treatment not reflected in the Pentagon’s current figures.
The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the reported numbers. A spokesperson for the office of self-styled War Secretary Pete Hegseth said no information beyond what is posted on the official website could be provided. CENTCOM later confirmed two service members were killed in Jordan and that four others were medically evacuated, while a missing service member’s status was later revised.
The Defense Casualty Analysis System, which tracks deceased, wounded, ill or injured service members for Congress and the president, has not been updated to reflect the latest figures, prompting criticism that the system undercounts casualties. The discrepancy follows earlier reports that the Pentagon adjusted its casualty tally downward by 15 without explanation and has previously omitted names of service members who died of non-combat causes.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell described recent media reports on the injuries as “baseless and malicious.” The official also noted that Iran appears to have adapted its tactics to overwhelm U.S. air defenses with a combination of ballistic missiles and attack drones, causing damage to multiple U.S. aircraft and facilities across the region.