More US Troops Killed in Iran War Than Pentagon Publicly Reports: Washington Post

More US service members have died during the ongoing war with Iran than the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged, according to a Washington Post report citing six US officials familiar with the Defense Department’s internal casualty data.

Five of the officials said at least 22 US military personnel have died since the conflict began on February 28 — four more than the number listed in the Pentagon’s public casualty database. A sixth official put the toll at 23, saying some of the additional deaths were not directly linked to combat but involved US personnel deployed in the Middle East during the conflict.

The same official said three US contractors in the region have also died since the start of the war.

The Washington Post said it could not determine the circumstances surrounding the additional deaths or the identities of those involved. The Pentagon declined to comment on the reported discrepancy.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected the report, calling it “DISGUSTING and FAKE” and accusing the Washington Post of publishing false information.

The reported casualty figures come as the financial cost of the Iran war continues to rise. US Central Command estimates that the conflict had cost about $43.6 billion by September 3, including roughly $28 billion in munitions.

The Congressional Budget Office had estimated that the war cost $38 billion through August 1 and could add around $3 billion per month, depending on the intensity of the fighting.

The latest figures also show a sharp increase in spending on weapons. Munitions costs rose from $21.7 billion in the CBO estimate to about $28.1 billion in the latest Central Command assessment.

The growing cost comes as the Trump administration seeks support for a proposed $1.5 trillion military budget and a separate $95 billion funding package for the Iran war and other priorities.

Hegseth urged lawmakers to approve the proposed defence spending during a speech in Austin, Texas, saying the funding would support major investments in the US military and defence industry.

Meanwhile, Democratic senators have called on Hegseth to provide Congress with a full accounting of the war’s costs, arguing that lawmakers and the public need greater transparency as military casualties and spending increase.

A Pentagon report to Congress includes expenses related to warships, aircraft, bases, equipment losses and medical support for troops. However, it does not include damage to US military facilities across the Middle East. A Pentagon inspector general report said Iranian attacks had damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at US bases in several countries.

Munitions account for more than half of the reported costs, with defensive missile interceptors, including those used by Patriot and THAAD systems, among the most heavily used weapons.

The conflict has also put pressure on US and allied missile-defence stockpiles, with officials warning of severe shortages of interceptors in Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Missing F-35 Components

Separately, Politico reported that sensitive F-35 components went missing after being diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped from Australia to the United States, raising concerns over the potential exposure of highly classified fighter-jet technology.

The Pentagon confirmed it was aware of a shipment involving unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components and said efforts were underway to recover them.

Among the missing items was reportedly an F-35 canopy containing specialised stealth technology. Sources told Politico that possession of the component could potentially allow a rival to study or reverse-engineer aspects of the technology.

The circumstances surrounding the diversion to Hong Kong remain unclear. Lockheed Martin said its teams apply strict safeguards to F-35 shipments but declined to discuss the shipment’s status for security reasons.

Congressional national security committees, along with State and Defense Department officials, were briefed on the matter, with further discussions expected.