Pentagon Says About 140 U.S. Troops Wounded In Iran War

The Pentagon said Tuesday that approximately 140 American service members have been wounded since the start of Operation Epic Freedom on February 28.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the majority of the injuries have been minor and that many of the wounded troops have already returned to duty.

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor,” Parnell said in a statement. “One hundred and eight service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care.”

The Pentagon did not provide details about where or when most of the injuries occurred.

Seven American service members have been killed during the conflict as a result of Iranian attacks. Six of those deaths occurred following a March 1 Iranian strike on a U.S. base in Kuwait.

Another service member was killed the same day in a separate strike targeting a U.S. installation in Saudi Arabia.

An eighth American service member died several days later, on March 6, after suffering a medical emergency while stationed in Kuwait. Officials have not provided additional details about that incident.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier confirmed that roughly 150 American troops had been wounded during the conflict, responding to a report published by Reuters.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the danger to U.S. forces had been significantly reduced following the early phase of the military campaign.

“We’re going to go further, but the big risk in that war has been over for three days,” Trump said. “We wiped them out in the first two days.”

The president also suggested that the operation may conclude earlier than the four week timeline he initially outlined.

“We’re achieving major strides toward completing our military objective, and some people could say they’re pretty well complete,” Trump said.

Trump indicated the conflict will end once Iran no longer has the capability to produce weapons that could threaten the United States, Israel, or allied nations.

The president has outlined several primary objectives for the campaign, including dismantling Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Additional goals include eliminating Iran’s support for proxy groups such as Hezbollah and neutralizing the country’s naval capabilities.

Global markets have been watching the conflict closely, particularly as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed dramatically amid security concerns in the region.