IRAN ~ U.S. troop casualty numbers were muddled after the Pentagon quietly removed four recent deaths in the U.S.-Iran War amid a pause in fighting over the weekend.
The Pentagon reported over the weekend that 482 U.S. military members have been injured in “Operation Epic Fury” since the U.S. and Israel began launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, along with 18 deaths. However, the death count was reduced to 14 on the Pentagon’s tracker, removing four recent troop casualties from the most recent round of shellfire with Iran. These deaths were moved to a separate, broader category titled “Overseas Operations,” which includes an additional 207 injuries. This category states the deaths were tallied beginning July 7.
Over 50 civilians have died in Iran since the start of July, adding to the over 3,500 people total killed by Israel and the U.S. since the latter two started the war.
After 12 days of trading strikes, fighting between the U.S. and Iran stopped over the weekend, with talks over commercial passages through the Strait of Hormuz still the sticking point in indirect negotiations. Oil prices fell below $90 a barrel amid the pause in strikes.
