U.S. Media Claims U.S. Military Concealed Number of Injured Personnel in Iran Conflict

On July 20, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that the New York Times, citing multiple anonymous U.S. officials, stated that Iran attacked U.S. military bases in Jordan multiple times last week, resulting in dozens of U.S. personnel being injured, but the U.S. Central Command did not disclose this information.

The report mentioned that the U.S. Central Command announced in a statement on the 18th that two U.S. personnel were killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan on the 17th, but did not mention the other three attacks by Iran last week that resulted in dozens of U.S. personnel being injured and several helicopters being damaged.

The report reflects the tension between the Pentagon's so-called "operational security" needs and the government's obligation to inform the public about the progress of the war. A U.S. military officer stated that the U.S. Central Command is not obligated to disclose information about injured personnel, especially when they can quickly return to duty.

According to statistics from the U.S. Central Command, more than 400 U.S. personnel have been injured in the conflict with Iran. The Pentagon had regularly reported the total number of U.S. injuries, but has stopped updating this data in recent weeks.