Dozens of U.S. troops were reportedly wounded in a series of Iranian strikes on American forces in Jordan that the Pentagon did not publicly disclose before a later attack killed two service members and left another missing.
The earlier strikes damaged multiple U.S. helicopters and were confirmed to The New York Times by several U.S. officials, the outlet reported Monday.
The report raises fresh questions about how much the Pentagon is telling the public as President Donald Trump’s war with Iran grows deadlier and U.S. forces pound Tehran for a ninth straight night.
U.S. Central Command said last week that it was retaliating against Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
But the command did not publicly mention the earlier strikes on American forces in Jordan or the dozens of reported injuries.
Pentagon officials told the Times many of the injuries were not severe and that releasing detailed casualty information could help Iran assess the effectiveness of its attacks on bases housing thousands of U.S. troops.
CENTCOM is not required to release information about injured troops, especially if they return to duty quickly.
Still, the report exposes the growing tension between operational secrecy and the public’s right to know the real cost of a widening war.
The revelations came after 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed in an Iranian attack on a U.S. air base in Jordan on Friday.
They were the first American troops killed by direct Iranian fire since March, and their deaths brought the U.S. military death toll in the Iran war to 17.
Central Command is also working to determine whether remains found near the Jordan base belong to a third soldier who remains listed as missing.
Another American soldier was killed Saturday in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone.
The Pentagon has not released that soldier’s identity.
More than 400 U.S. troops have been injured since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, according to the report.
The Pentagon has not updated the total number of wounded in several weeks.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rejected accusations of a cover-up and blasted the Times over its report.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed claims of a cover-up as ‘baseless and malicious’ and torched ‘partisan hacks at the New York Times who are desperate to smear America’s military.’
‘Claims of concealment are fabrications meant to further distress the American people in the wake of three service members killed in action. Disgusting behavior, even for the New York Times,’ said Parnell.
‘In fact, US military casualty information is publicly available and regularly updated online on the Defense Casualty Analysis System for everyone, including the media, to review.
‘Injuries in the military encompass everything from minor sprained ankles during routine training to incidents entirely unrelated to combat operations. Cherry-picking raw numbers without context paints a deliberately misleading and incomplete picture.’
The administration’s defenders argue the Pentagon is right not to hand Iran a scorecard on which attacks are working.
Critics argue the American people should not learn from anonymous leaks that dozens of troops were wounded while the war was escalating by the day.
Trump’s confrontation with Iran has moved into a more dangerous phase as American deaths climb and the U.S. keeps hammering Iranian military targets.
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night after attending the World Cup final, Trump said the U.S. had ‘hit them very hard again’ in a fresh barrage launched after the deadly attack on American troops.
Iran fired back Monday morning, launching explosive-laden suicide drones at critical infrastructure in Kuwait, according to the Kuwaiti military.
Trump earlier called the deaths of the two troops ‘a very sad thing.’
The president also told NewsNation on Sunday that he ‘couldn’t care less’ if Iran no longer abides by the peace agreement signed last month.
The latest U.S. bombardment hit Iranian command centers, air defenses, naval assets, coastal surveillance posts, and missile, drone and communications sites.
The U.S. is trying to cripple Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that carries about one-fifth of global oil.
Fighting resumed last week after the U.S. accused Iran of violating the memorandum of understanding by attacking oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
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The U.S. Navy has also reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports and seized several Iranian ships.
‘The US is planning for a wider war,’ one American official familiar with the operations told the Washington Post, noting the Pentagon was boosting the number of aircraft in the region.
The official cautioned that the expanded operation could be limited by low stocks of air-defense and long-range weapons, as well as battle damage that restricts how many additional troops and warplanes can be moved into the region.
RELATED: Two U.S. Soldiers Killed, One Missing After Iranian Attack
The Biden-era fantasy that Iran could be managed with diplomacy and paper promises is gone.
Trump is now trying to break Tehran’s ability to hit ships, target U.S. troops and hold the world’s oil supply hostage.
But the new report makes one thing clear: Iran’s strikes are not just symbolic.
American troops are being wounded, equipment is being damaged and families are being notified.
The Pentagon may have operational reasons to hold back details.
But with U.S. casualties rising, the American public is going to want more than carefully worded statements and delayed numbers.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
