Pentagon reports over 600 US troops wounded in Iran war

The total number of U.S. service members wounded in the conflict with Iran has surpassed 600, according to the latest Pentagon casualty figures, as a three-day pause in fighting has raised hopes for renewed diplomacy. The updated statistics, posted over the weekend, show 624 wounded personnel since hostilities began on February 28.

The Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System now separates the casualties into two categories. Operation Epic Fury, the name for the initial phase of the war, lists 14 killed and 417 wounded. A new category, "Overseas Operations," which began on July 7, lists 4 killed and 207 wounded. The four deaths in the latter category occurred after a fragile ceasefire, announced in April, broke down in early July. The combined official death toll stands at 18.

The revision and re-categorization of casualty figures has drawn criticism from lawmakers and former military officials, who accuse the Department of Defense of undermining transparency. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie called the separation of casualty counts into two categories an "absurd ruse," suggesting it was a way to obscure the war's full human cost. Last week, a dozen Democratic senators on...