The U.S. Department of Defense updated its public casualty report for the conflict with Iran on Thursday, lowering the number of service member deaths from 18 to 14. The revision removed four U.S. military personnel killed in Jordan and Iraq in July from the official tally displayed on the department’s Defense Casualty Analysis System website.
The website, which stated it was last updated on Wednesday, listed 14 total deaths, with seven classified as “hostile.” All fatalities currently included in the count occurred in March.
The New York Times first reported the change. According to its report, which cited three unnamed military officials, the four service members were removed from the public list because their deaths occurred after President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire in April. The four service members were killed over the previous weekend, with three in Jordan and one in northern Iraq.
In a statement to The New York Times, acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez attributed the change to “temporary data disruptions” on the casualty website. Valdez told the publication that the issue would be corrected.
The Department of Defense and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The adjustment to the public data follows recent remarks from lawmakers regarding the administration’s reporting on the conflict. On Monday, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, stated that President Trump had not shared complete casualty statistics with Congress.
“There has been no transparency from the President or the Pentagon about the full extent of equipment losses and casualty statistics,” Smith said in a statement.
At a public event on Thursday, the same day the revised count was observed, President Trump referred to the previous, higher number. “I had a very sad day yesterday. I went to Dover, four great American patriots killed. That’s 18 … and one is too many, but it’s 18,” the president said.
The Pentagon has provided limited public information on U.S. military operations related to the conflict since the ceasefire announced in April was not maintained. The last major press briefing on the war was held in early May.
