The U.S. Department of Defense Releases Revised U.S. Military Casualty Figures for the Iraq War

On July 23, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that the U.S. Department of Defense updated the number of U.S. military casualties in the U.S.-Iran conflict, lowering it from the previously announced 18 to 14. According to U.S. media reports, the reasons for this data adjustment are contradictory between internal military statements and the official explanation provided by the Department of Defense.

On the same day, the U.S. Department of Defense's official website adjusted the number of U.S. military casualties in the U.S.-Iran conflict to 14, of which 7 were classified as combat deaths.

Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez told The New York Times that this data change was due to a "temporary data glitch" on the website, and that the related issues would be resolved soon, stating that the Department of Defense is "committed to ensuring the accuracy of all casualty reporting information."

Additionally, The New York Times reported, citing three anonymous U.S. military officials, that the modification was made because the deaths of three U.S. service members in Jordan and one U.S. service member in northern Iraq occurred after President Trump announced a temporary ceasefire in April, and therefore, they would no longer be included in the list of U.S. military casualties in the conflict with Iran.

U.S. public opinion indicates that since the breakdown of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement, the Department of Defense has rarely disclosed information about U.S. military deployments, and the release of information regarding U.S. military casualties has been slow. Critics, including Democratic federal senators, believe that the U.S. government has an obligation to publicly disclose information related to the progress of the conflict.