Iran war: Washington Post reports more US troop deaths than Pentagon disclosed

More U.S. service members have died during the ongoing Iran war than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, according to an investigation by The Washington Post.

The report, published Friday, said five U.S. officials familiar with the Defense Department’s internal casualty records put the number of military fatalities at least 22, four higher than the 18 deaths listed in the Pentagon’s public Defense Casualty Analysis System.

A sixth official told the newspaper that 23 service members had died since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran. The official said not all the additional deaths were directly linked to the conflict.

The report also said three U.S. contractors based in the region had died since combat operations began.

The Pentagon declined to address questions about the reported discrepancy, while details surrounding some of the undisclosed deaths remain unclear.