Data: Pentagon conceals number of soldiers injured in Iran war

Nelly Kronstrand 

Published 23:12

The fighting between the US and Iran has escalated.

But the extent of the American losses is being concealed from the public.

Among other things, the number of soldiers injured, according to information to the New York Times.

Last week, two American soldiers died in an Iranian missile attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

The soldiers were Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, from Texas, and First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, from Hawaii, according to the Pentagon.

The day before the attack, another American soldier died in a controlled explosion of a downed Iranian drone, American media reports.

This means that the death toll among American military personnel has risen to 17, since the US and Israel began their attacks on Iran in February.

Sources: Why the information is being kept secret

Now, a New York Times survey shows that about twelve soldiers were injured in several attacks in Jordan that same week.

Several helicopters were also damaged in the Iranian attacks.

But several US officials say that the data has not been reported to the public – and that it has been kept secret for operational security reasons.

One source says that the US Central Command is not obliged to report the number of casualties, especially not if the soldiers can quickly return to duty.

Another source says that the information about the attacks would only help Iran to specify and improve its attacks on US bases in the Middle East.

Stopped updating the figure

In recent weeks, the Pentagon has stopped updating the figure on the number of US soldiers injured in the war, writes the New York Times.

The latest update from the US Central Command showed that more than 400 US military personnel had been injured.

At the same time, the agency has also stopped reporting how many targets in Iran were hit by the US strikes. The last major press conference about the war was held several months ago.

Trump: Great sadness

This is the tenth night in a row that the US has carried out airstrikes against Iran.

On Monday, US officials told CNN that they plan to send additional F-16 and F-35 fighter jets from bases in Europe, as well as more tanker aircraft for aerial refueling.

According to US President Donald Trump, the latest attacks in Iran were carried out “to honor the great patriots”.

– We feel great sadness, but those great people, those great patriots, fought to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Trump told reporters at the airport in Maryland on Monday.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Iran continues to rise. According to estimates, more than 1,700 Iranian civilians have been killed during the conflict, the New York Times reports.

Iran: Defensive Military Operations

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US is still open to negotiations with Iran.

Among other things, he said that they have been working for a long-term peace with Tehran – and that Iranian representatives have signaled that they want to negotiate, reports CNN.

This was confirmed by Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, on Monday.

According to Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran is also open to a diplomatic solution. However, he emphasizes that the country's forces will continue their "defensive military operations as long as the attacks continue."