The Pentagon is facing new questions about how it reports casualties from the conflict with Iran following the deaths of four U.S. service members this month.
The Pentagon’s casualty website dropped the four service members from the total number of deaths in Operation Epic Fury. The Defense Department attributed the discrepancy to a temporary data disruption.
On Friday, the website listed 14 total deaths tied to Operation Epic Fury. However, it had shown 18 earlier this week after it was updated to include three U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks in Jordan and a fourth killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone.
The New York Times reported Thursday, citing three military officials, that the administration said the deaths were removed because they occurred after the declared ceasefire.
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The Pentagon rejected that reporting, accusing the newspaper of “manufacturing lies.”
In a statement posted on X, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the discrepancy was caused by a temporary data disruption and that officials were working to correct it.
“These site anomalies are currently being resolved in coordination with the Military Services. The Department attempted to explain the anomalies to the New York Times ahead of publication, but given their lack of knowledge in this area, they proceeded to write a non-story that will be fixed imminently,” Parnell wrote.
The discrepancy comes as the Pentagon has faced increased scrutiny over transparency during the conflict.
Senate Democrats sent a letter Friday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several military leaders demanding a “comprehensive accounting of the number of service members who have been killed, wounded, or injured” during the operation.
