As many as 150 U.S. troops wounded so far in Iran war – Reuters

As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the ongoing war with Iran, Reuters reported citing two people familiar with the matter.

The casualty figure has not been previously reported. Prior to Reuters’ publication of the figure, the Pentagon had only disclosed eight U.S. personnel seriously injured.

In a statement after Reuters published its report, the Pentagon estimated the figure to be approximately 140 wounded and said the vast majority of them were ⁠minor injuries.

“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” Reuters quoted chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell as saying.

He said 108 of the wounded service members had already returned to duty.

Parnell said the eight seriously wounded service members were receiving the highest level of medical care.

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posing a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East. 

The Pentagon says the number of Iranian strikes has fallen sharply since the start of the war, as ⁠the U.S. military bombs Iran’s weapons inventories and targets Iran’s more limited number of missile launchers.