The Department of Defense revised the number of U.S. service members killed in the Iran war, lowering the count from 18 to 14. The acting press secretary, Joel Valdez, attributed this change to “temporary data disruptions.” Three military officials, however, offered a different explanation, as reported by The New York Times. They alleged that the Trump administration removed four service members from the count, with deaths occurring after President Trump declared a ceasefire in April.
The New York Times stated that these officials spoke under anonymity due to sensitive internal discussions. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated in recent weeks following Trump’s accusations against Iran for violating the ceasefire terms.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell sharply criticized the Times’ report, labeling it “fake news.” On social media platform X, Parnell stated, “This is one of the worst instances of the Fake News media manufacturing lies to cause distress among the American people.” He emphasized that the errors in the Defense Casualty Analysis System were due to temporary data disruptions, which are being resolved with the Military Services.
The Pentagon responded to Newsweek’s inquiry about the situation, though beyond standard working hours. The issue arises amid allegations against Trump for handling the death toll lightly, comparing it with past conflicts like Vietnam and Afghanistan, and describing the conflict in Iran as a “skirmish.”
The situation continues to develop and further updates are expected.