The number of American troops injured in the Middle East since the start of the U.S.-Iran war has now eclipsed 750, according to the most recent update on the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System.
There have been 339 U.S. service members injured since July 7 as of Thursday, which is a substantial increase since Tuesday, when the database said 279 troops had been injured since July 7. Additionally, 417 U.S. service members were injured from Feb. 28 through July 6, so the total number of U.S. troops injured in the war is 756.
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Last month, the Pentagon decided its casualty database should split casualties into two categories based on Trump’s second war powers notification. The split garnered criticism and concern from lawmakers.
The July 7 date coincides with when President Donald Trump informed Congress that new hostilities with Iran began in a War Powers notification. The War Powers Act gives a president 60 days from the start of a conflict to secure congressional approval for additional military operations. Otherwise, the conflict must end. The administration said the first 60-day period ended when the ceasefire commenced in April.
“Since Operation Epic Fury has concluded, the Department classifies casualties as overseas operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility,” a War Department official previously told the Washington Examiner.
Eighteen U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict, four of whom were killed after the July 7 demarcation.
The war has slowed into uneven bursts of strikes.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” calling it an “unprecedented scale” of economic warfare. He also called on allies “to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat.”
Trump said earlier this week the two sides were not currently negotiating, though he left open the possibility of talks.
The U.S. Navy is continuing its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran’s threats to target ships transiting the waterway off its coast have dissuaded ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital pathway for the global distribution of oil and gas. Trump has repeatedly claimed the U.S. is in control of the strait, though Iran’s threats have continued to disrupt traffic.
The USS George Washington just reached the region to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been deployed since before the war. The roughly 5,000 sailors and marines aboard the Lincoln have had a tough deployment as the tip of the proverbial spear for the American war efforts. Navy leaders met with family members of those on board earlier this month, during which loved ones expressed their concerns about the conditions on board.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, visited the vessel and applauded the troops serving on the Lincoln.
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“I’ve long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health,” he said. “I applaud Lincoln’s leadership — the senior enlisted leaders in the Chief Petty Officers Mess in particular — for stepping up and making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority.”
Apart from mental health, there have been concerns around the vessel’s supply shortages, water contamination, plumbing issues, and deck safety. Trump and Pentagon officials have downplayed those concerns.
