US troop deaths in Iran war exceed Pentagon count by at least four, Washington Post reports

Key facts

• At least 22 US military personnel have died during the war with Iran.
• Four more troops have died than are listed in the Pentagon's public database.
• The Pentagon has created a new, separate category for casualties from renewed U.S.-Iran fighting.
• The Washington Post cited six US officials familiar with the Defense Department's internal casualty accounting data.

The Pentagon has created a new, separate category within its official casualty system to account for troops killed and wounded in recent renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post. This move means that four American troops who died in this recent combat are no longer included in the Pentagon's public death toll for the Iran war.

The Washington Post cited six U.S. officials familiar with the Defense Department's internal casualty accounting data, who stated that there have been at least 22 military fatalities, four more than the data available on the Pentagon's public database. The Pentagon explained that the new category was established because "Operation Epic Fury," the military's designation for combat operations against Tehran, has concluded.