Iran29 September, 20262 min read
Habibollah Sayyari Says Iran’s Armed Forces Will Expel the Enemy From the Region
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Iran claims hundreds of U.S. bases struck and aircraft ablaze. Sayyari: enemies do not disclose casualties; Iran will reveal actual U.S. casualties later.
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Casualty dispute widens
Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told a televised interview that “the enemy does not disclose their casualties,” arguing that it is “simply impossible” that only “eight” people were affected at their bases despite missiles and drones. NBC News, citing three unnamed US officials, reported that eight American Marines sustained injuries two weeks earlier when an Iranian cruise missile attacked the ship on which they were operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon’s reported death toll reduction followed a change in how it classified the deaths of some service members, and Sayyari said, “The number of their dead and the number of their wounded is higher than that—much higher.” Sayyari also said Iran’s armed forces would treat “territorial integrity” as a “red line,” and he added that “The enemy will be expelled from the region in disgrace and humiliation.”
Pentagon tally questioned
The Pentagon count recorded 880 US troops as wounded or dead, with 444 casualties occurring after July 7, and the figures were described as part of a continuing dispute over the war’s human cost. President Donald Trump described the confrontation with Iran as “small potatoes,” while Vice President JD Vance said it was not a “war,” and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick declared: “There haven’t been American deaths, it’s really just an economic choke-out.”
The Pentagon revealed nine Marines and 29 sailors were injured this month, and the update came in an update to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. A Navy official told Task & Purpose that the “Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and Navy Casualty officials have fully validated reports to ensure accurate service records.”
Strait of Hormuz stakes
Eight Marines were injured in a cruise missile attack on September 14, and the Marines were aboard an unidentified vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
A cargo ship was hit that same day by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, and the officials would not say if Marines had been stationed on commercial vessels transiting the Strait.
Abbas Araghchi said, “At the right time, we will reveal the actual number of US military casualties,” and it added that “This is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Abbas Araghchi also said, “Claim: Iran is defenseless. Reality: Hundreds of US military bases and facilities have been struck, and dozens of American aircraft have been set ablaze.”