The Pentagon admitted that at least 140 U.S. troops have been wounded after Reuters published reporting on American casualties on Tuesday, broadening the previously known toll of the war as Democratic lawmakers briefed on the fighting are warning that the Trump administration is moving toward a ground invasion.
Reuters reported, citing two people familiar, that up to 150 American troops have been wounded in the first 10 days of the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran.
The Pentagon’s top spokesperson said in a statement to the press after the publication of the story that “approximately 140 U.S. service members ​have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” and that 108 of them have already returned to duty.
At least, seven service men has been confirmed killed.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also acknowledged in a press conference that the “ballpark” figure of injuries is 150, but referred reporters to the Pentagon for precise figures.
Prior to the report, the Department of Defense had only previously acknowledged the injuries of eight soldiers who were seriously wounded.
This comes on top of the news on Sunday that a seventh American troop has died in the war, identified as 26-year-old Benjamin Pennington. Pennington sustained fatal injuries during Iran’s attacks on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The U.S. and Israel’s strikes have killed at least 1,255 people across Iran and injured 12,000 in the first nine days of war, Iran’s deputy health minister said.
According to human rights group HRANA, at least 189 soldiers and 1,245 civilians have been killed, including 194 children, in the first 11 days of war.
The Pentagon has said that it is targeting Iran’s drone and missile stores and manufacturers, and that Iranian strikes are slowing down.
However, U.S. casualties may skyrocket if the U.S. initiates a ground war, which analysts warn would be catastrophic on all fronts. Still, some Democrats are warning that the White House appears to be moving toward a land invasion.
“We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran to accomplish any of the potential objectives,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) told reporters after leaving a Senate Armed Service Committee briefing on the war on Tuesday.
Blumenthal said the briefing left him “as dissatisfied and angry, frankly, as I have from any past briefing in my 15 years in the Senate. I am left with more questions than answers, especially about the cost of the war.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) similarly expressed that he fears a ground invasion “now more than ever” after a briefing last week. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), who has been outspoken against the war, has also warned that, if the Trump administration’s goal is regime change, officials will not be satisfied with just airstrikes.
“There is no history that an air campaign by itself can lead to the toppling of a despotic regime,” Murphy told CT News Junkie on Friday. “A U.S. ground invasion of Iran will result in thousands of Americans dying and trillions of our dollars being wasted.”
The U.S.’s invasion of Iraq killed hundreds of thousands of people, experts have estimated, while roughly 4,500 American troops died during the nearly nine-year operation.
The Trump administration’s timeline for the war is ever-shifting. Trump has said that it will last four to five weeks, but CENTCOM is reportedly requesting more intelligence officers based on a belief that the war will last “at least 100 days but likely through September,” Politico wrote of the request.
The end goals for the war, meanwhile, are completely opaque. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who helped lead the Trump administration’s pre-war negotiations with Iran, has said as such.
In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Witkoff was asked, “How do you see this ending, this war?”
“I don’t know,” Witkoff responded.
WARNING: If You Are Not 18+, Don’t Click The Link Below 👇🫣Â
https://emitprocured.com/u36k6hvh?key=9d5a995551042f49ca200d04746b52ad
Did you want to monetize your website, join MONETAG or ADSKEEPER and start earningÂ
Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it.
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.
Never Miss A Single News Or Gist, Kindly Join Us On WhatsApp Channel:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vad8g81Eawdsio6INn3B
Telegram Channel:
https://t.me/gistsmateNG
