Pentagon accused of hiding US casualties in war with Iran
Pentagon accused of hiding US casualties in war with Iran
TEHRAN — Senior former American national security officials have openly accused the Pentagon of orchestrating a systematic cover-up to conceal the true scale of casualties inflicted on US forces since Washington launched its war against Iran on February 28.
Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta strongly criticized the Department of War for engaging in a deliberate effort to deceive both the American public and the international community regarding troop losses. Panetta described the state-enforced media blackout as a shameful approach to governance, warning that military officials in Washington are attempting to downplay a campaign that is rapidly collapsing into an unsustainable quagmire.
Despite intense information suppression and aggressive public relations management by Washington, official reports confirm that at least 18 American service members have been killed and between 430 and 500 troops have suffered physical injuries since hostilities erupted on February 28. Following the breakdown of a fragile ceasefire, over 100 US personnel were struck in retaliatory Iranian missile and drone operations.
Independent observers stress that actual casualty figures are likely far higher than the numbers reluctantly released in social media posts by US authorities. Discrepancies have further fueled accusations of dishonesty. The Pentagon’s official casualty tracking page quietly altered its recorded death toll downward from 18 to 14 without explanation. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell claimed the discrepancy was merely a temporary data disruption, an excuse widely criticized by analysts as a clumsy attempt at statistical manipulation. Former State Department official Ned Price noted that leaders in Washington fear intense public backlash ahead of upcoming national elections, calculating that disclosing the full extent of physical and psychological trauma among troops would inflict severe political damage.
To protect its narrative of military dominance, the Defense Department—recently rebranded under the title of the Department of War—has dismantled standard media access and has failed to host a standard press briefing for over two and a half months. Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accredited journalists from major international news outlets were stripped of their long-held credentials and replaced by political loyalists, podcasters, and influencers. Remaining reporters face extreme movement restrictions and mandatory armed escorts, while main press offices were declared classified spaces to block external scrutiny entirely. Representatives from Reporters Without Borders and the National Press Club condemned these restrictions as an extraordinary suppression of information regarding military operational developments.
The inability of US forces to achieve their objectives since launching the war on February 28 has generated chaotic political infighting inside Washington. During a combative Senate hearing, Hegseth faced fierce condemnation over the soaring financial costs of the conflict, which have surpassed 37.5 billion dollars. When challenged directly over the total absence of a coherent victory plan or exit strategy, Hegseth erupted in anger at lawmakers, prompting Democratic Senator Gary Peters to state that military leadership itself is operating without a long-term strategy to win or resolve the conflict. Meanwhile, domestic support for the war has plummeted as the American public endures steep fuel price spikes and severe inflation directly resulting from the ongoing regional disruption.
source: tehrantimes.com