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Counting US losses shifts
The Pentagon’s Defence Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) removed four U.S. troops from its Iran war death tally during renewed fighting, and it also took out dozens of wounded troops from the Iran count last week.
“It is raising questions about properly counting the impact to U”
On Sunday, DCAS added a new category called "Overseas Operations" that listed the four Army deaths by name and 207 wounded, while it was unclear if all of the wounded were injured in the Iran conflict.
ABC11 News says the DCAS website had previously reported the war’s official toll as 18 killed and 482 wounded as late as Tuesday, before the figures later fell back to 14 dead and 420 wounded by Wednesday.
The same reporting ties the renewed hostilities to the U.S. and Israel launching the war in Iran on Feb. 28, and it notes that the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April before signing an interim deal to end the war in mid-June.
ABC11 News also reports that Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez argued the drop was not an effort to hide the human toll, saying it was due to "anomalies" and "temporary data disruptions" being resolved "imminently."
Accusations of concealment
A separate controversy in U.S. media circles centers on allegations that the Pentagon deliberately conceals casualty information from the war with Iran, with اعتمـادآنلاین describing the dispute as sparking "widespread controversy inside the United States."
اعتمادآنلاین says former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta argued that "it is the government's duty to inform citizens of the real cost of wars the country wages," and it links that position to past defense secretaries holding periodic press conferences during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Nour News reports that The Guardian said former U.S. Defense Secretary and former CIA Director Leon Panetta described the Pentagon's handling of the victims' case as a "disgraceful approach," and it frames the dispute as an accusation of restricting information ahead of the midterm elections.
Nour News also quotes Panetta saying: "The attempt to restrict information may delay the appearance of the truth, but it will not prevent it, because the press will continue to search for the facts despite all restrictions, and the truth will eventually be revealed."
In the same Nour News account, the report points to the war entering a more complex phase after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire and the resumption of daily military operations, while it notes the deaths of 18 American soldiers and hundreds more injured were announced late and acknowledged only after they circulated on social media.
Iran counters with claims
While U.S. casualty accounting remains contested, Iranian officials describe their own campaign and losses inflicted on American forces, with صدى البلد reporting that IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohbi announced a list of 11 new downings of American drones over 15 days.
“An article in The Guardian addressed a topic that has sparked widespread controversy inside the United States; the topic includes allegations against the U”
صدى البلد says Mohbi told Tasnim News Agency that "over 15 days, the forces achieved 11 successful downings," and it lists dates including 8 July downing an MQ-9 over Khormoj in Bushehr Province and 12 July downing a cruise missile over Jahrom.
In a separate Tasnim News Agency interview, Major General Hossein Mahbi said Iran destroyed 11 American fighter aircraft and helicopters on the ground during a 15-day battle from Tir 17 to Tir 31, and he added that 17 reconnaissance and operational drones were also destroyed.
تسنیم reports Mahbi saying: "The number of American casualties after violation of the accord is over 200," and it adds that he claimed "American casualty figures regarding human losses are an outright lie."
The same Tasnim account also states that Iran’s armed forces destroyed 11 American fighter aircraft and helicopters on the ground while based at American bases in the region, and it lists additional claimed losses across radar, logistics, and air operations domains.
