U.S. Troop Injuries in Iran War Increase Without Pentagon Explanation

<figure><img alt="U.S. President Donald Trump salutes as members of the military carry the transfer case of U.S. Army Pvt. Isabella Gonzales of the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air Missile Defense Command, who was killed during an attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, during a dignified transfer of her remains at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, U.S., July 22, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/KPIO7TW4NRBFNGFZDUPBTYSL3A.JPG?auth=b5137c64305cdd0b540dad2c3dc25a88f5e8e82e3c021c3960a8289816de2840&amp;smart=true&amp;width=3520&amp;height=1980" /><figcaption>Evelyn Hockstein / REUTERS</figcaption></figure><p>The number of U.S. troops injured in the Iran war increased this week, with no official explanation provided by the Pentagon. An additional 29 Navy sailors and eight Marines were reported wounded, bringing the total number of war injuries to 861, according to the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS).</p><p>The Defense Department has not clarified the circumstances or timing of the injuries, although a Navy official informed The Washington Post that all the sailors have returned to duty. President Donald Trump and other administration officials have not publicly addressed the rising number of injuries as the conflict enters its seventh month.</p><p>On Saturday, Trump stated that he rejected a seven-day ceasefire proposal from Iran, saying, “I’m rejecting their deal. They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately ... we’re winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait ... that deal would not be acceptable.”</p><p>The Trump administration has faced allegations of concealing the true scale of casualties to maintain support for the war, despite assertions from Trump and senior officials that it is not a war. Five U.S. officials told the Post last week that there are additional fatalities that have not been disclosed to the public.</p><p>Currently, DCAS reports 19 fatalities among service members, but officials have indicated that at least three more deaths are unaccounted for.</p><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied any claims of a cover-up, stating, “Even if we wanted to hide a combat death, we never would and we never could.”</p><p>At the end of July, a group of Democratic senators requested a “full and accurate accounting of the human costs of war,” formally asking for a comprehensive report on the number of service members killed, wounded, or injured in relation to the operation. They noted that the information available to the public suggests that the Department has not consistently provided timely and comprehensive casualty reporting throughout the conflict.</p><p>The Daily Beast has reached out to the Navy for comments regarding the latest injuries.</p>