More than 750 US troops wounded in Iran war, nearly half since July 

The number of U.S. troops wounded in the Iran war passed 750 this week, as the Department of Defense updated its casualty report. Nearly half of those were service members wounded since fighting restarted last month.

The Department of Defense’s casualty database was updated this week, showing dozens more troops wounded. The latest figure, as of Friday, Aug. 21, shows 341 service members listed as wounded in action since July 7. The casualty database lists those as part of “Overseas Operations”, a distinct category created last month separate from Operation Epic Fury, the initial military campaign launched at the end of February. Combined with data from Epic Fury, 758 troops have been wounded since Feb. 28.

The Pentagon created the new category last month, after fighting between the United States and Iran reignited. According to the Defense Department, Epic Fury ended July 7.

The overwhelming majority of those wounded are from the Army, with 310 soldiers listed as wounded in action. The Navy accounts for 21 and the Air Force the remaining 10. 

The Pentagon’s data does not specify what type of injury troops incurred or when and where they happened. The database’s figures also do not mean those injuries happened the day of the update. Injuries such as traumatic brain injuries can take time to be discovered and diagnosed as well as logged in the official database. However, their placement in the Overseas Operations category suggests they were all within the last month and a half.

Despite the June 17 memorandum of understanding, reached in Islamabad, calling for a ceasefire, fighting has continued in spurts. Iran has repeatedly targeted American positions around the Persian Gulf as well as in Jordan.

In addition to the wounded, 18 service members have died in the war, four of whom died since July 7. Three of those were soldiers killed in an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

The updated figures come as the war remains at an impasse. The June deal called for a 60-day window to reach a peace deal. The deal expired on Aug. 17. Fighting restarted in early July following disputes over traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Alongside days of airstrikes on Iranian sites, the U.S. also reimposed its blockade of the strait. Attacks stopped this month, although U.S. forces have fired on ships trying to break the blockade.

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