Pentagon Iran casualty tally separates 4 troop deaths from war count
The Pentagon now lists four July deaths in Jordan and Iraq apart from 14 killed under Operation Epic Fury, its Iran war label.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
The Pentagon Iran casualty tally now places four U.S. service members killed in Jordan and Iraq in July under “Overseas Operations Casualties,” apart from 14 others listed as killed in the war with Iran, according to the Defense Department’s public casualty database.
The 14 deaths are listed in the database under Operation Epic Fury, the Defense Department’s name for the Iran conflict. CBS News reported that the four additional deaths had appeared on that Operation Epic Fury list at one point last week, but by Thursday the names were no longer there and the Iran war death count had fallen from 18 to 14.
The four service members are 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, according to the report.
Why did the Pentagon Iran casualty tally change?
The New York Times first reported the missing figures in the database and cited three sources who said the change was tied to the timing of the deaths, because the four service members were killed after the Trump administration had declared an April ceasefire.
CBS News reported, however, that the four were killed about a week after President Trump notified Congress in a letter that the ceasefire had ended and military action had resumed on July 7.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, said in a statement posted on X last Thursday that “site errors on the Defense Casualty Analysis System” were due to “a temporary data disruption.” He said the “site anomalies are currently being resolved in coordination with the Military Services.”
Parnell also accused The New York Times of “colluding with anonymous sources to push a completely fake story.” Defense officials have not briefed reporters on the Iran war since May, according to CBS News, and have not commented on the classification of the four deaths.
How were the deaths classified before?
When the Pentagon first announced the names of two of the three service members killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan earlier this month, it initially described the deaths as tied to Operation Inherent Resolve, the long-running U.S. mission against ISIS, CBS News reported.
The Defense Department later revised those releases to say the service members died in “overseas operations.” In the casualty database, that label is separate from Operation Epic Fury, the listing used for the Iran conflict.
The handling of the death count comes as the Pentagon has also faced questions about wounded service members. After The New York Times reported earlier this week that dozens of troops had been hurt in Middle East attacks, the Pentagon initially pointed reporters to the casualty website, even though CBS News reported it had not been updated in several days and did not reflect the recent deaths.
CBS News first reported, and Parnell confirmed, that nearly 100 U.S. service members had been injured since July 7. Parnell said on X that 96% of those injured had returned to duty and that most of the injuries were “minor concussions.” CBS News noted that minor concussions can be traumatic brain injuries, with symptoms that may vary in severity and appear after the initial injury.
Parnell said further updates would be posted on the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
As of Sunday, the Pentagon site listed 417 service members as wounded in the war with Iran, down from 482 early last week, according to CBS News. The database now lists 207 service members as wounded in Overseas Operations.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.