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By Steven Frank
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The Pentagon raised its official tally of U.S. military deaths connected to the war with Iran to 23 this week after two additional Air Force fatalities were added to its casualty database.
Both airmen died in incidents classified as nonhostile. The Air Force said one died from an illness, while the cause of the second airman's death has not been disclosed and remains under investigation.
The deaths were added to the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System in updates Wednesday and Thursday.
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The latest additions mean nonhostile fatalities now account for more than half the deaths in the Pentagon's official tally. Of the 23 service members who have died, 11 were killed by enemy fire and 12 deaths were classified as nonhostile.
Another 865 U.S. service members have been wounded by enemy fire since the war began in late February, according to the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS.
Pentagon Updates Iran War Casualty Count
DCAS serves as the Pentagon's official record of U.S. troops killed or wounded during wars and other contingency operations.
The military records casualties from the conflict under two categories covering different periods of the war.
Operation Epic Fury, the name given to the initial campaign that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, accounts for 15 deaths and 417 wounded service members.
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A second category, called "Overseas Operations," covers casualties since July 7. The Pentagon lists eight deaths and 448 wounded under that designation.
The two newly added Air Force deaths were included in the Overseas Operations category.
Six of the 12 nonhostile fatalities resulted from the crash of a U.S. military refueling tanker in Iraq in March, which killed all the airmen aboard.
The casualty figures therefore include not only troops killed directly by enemy action, but service members whose deaths occurred during the broader U.S. military operation and were classified as nonhostile. The two latest additions fall into the latter category.
The distinction is significant in the current tally: Nonhostile deaths now narrowly outnumber the 11 fatalities attributed to enemy fire.
Hundreds Wounded Since War Began
The newly disclosed deaths come as the Pentagon's figures show the broader toll the conflict has taken on American forces.
While the latest database changes concern fatalities, the Pentagon also lists 865 U.S. service members wounded by enemy fire since fighting began in late February.
More than half of those wounded were injured in attacks after the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, amid subsequent rounds of retaliatory strikes.
The first category accounts for 417 wounded service members, while another 448 are recorded under Overseas Operations beginning July 7.
Airman’s Death Remains Under Investigation
The two new fatalities also underscore the distinction between deaths occurring during military operations and deaths caused directly by enemy action.
The Air Force has not disclosed additional details about the newly added service members. Beyond classifying both deaths as nonhostile, the service has said that one resulted from illness and that the circumstances of the other remain under investigation.
The latest update changes the number of fatalities, rather than the wounded tally, while adding two more nonhostile deaths to the Pentagon's public accounting of the war.
The figures leave the Pentagon's publicly disclosed toll from the Iran conflict at 23 U.S. military deaths and 865 wounded.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins
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