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Original article: La guerra que Washington no muestra: informe acusa al Pentágono de ocultar bajas entre sus tropas tras ataques iraníes

The Pentagon is allegedly withholding information about casualties in its troops following the ballistic missile strikes launched by Iran against U.S. bases (EE.UU.) located in Jordan and other points across the Middle East last week, a report from The New York Times has revealed.

“These attacks resulted in dozens of American servicemen injured and damaged several helicopters,” the outlet reported, citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The concealment of casualties is not limited to a single incident. The report details that Iran conducted at least three other attacks against U.S. forces in Jordan during the same week, which the Pentagon also failed to acknowledge. This systematic omission raises serious questions regarding the transparency of the Trump administration amid a conflict that analysts claim has been managed with unusual secrecy by military authorities.

Officials from the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) have defended the secrecy by arguing that they are not obligated to publicly disclose information about injured servicemen, and doing so could allow Iran to adjust its targeting more precisely against U.S. troops deployed in the region. “Operational security” has become the official excuse for prioritizing concealment over the public’s right to know, according to sources cited by the U.S. outlet.

The lack of official communication from Washington has been particularly evident in the absence of press briefings since May, leaving American citizens with scant information about the military strategy in the conflict against Iran.

Meanwhile, CBS News reported on Friday that attacks on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan resulted in two soldiers dead and another missing, later identified as First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, from Hawaii, and Soldier Isabella Gonzales, 19, from Texas.

Official U.S. figures contrast with other leaks. While military authorities have officially acknowledged the death of at least 17 soldiers and over 430 wounded, The Intercept revealed on April 1 that Washington is carrying out a “casualty cover-up,” indicating that nearly 750 American servicemen may have been killed or injured.

Similarly, the number of injured has not been updated in recent weeks, fueling suspicions about the true human impact of the conflict.

The Pentagon’s silence extends to other aspects of the war, such as the supply of interceptor missiles, with officials refusing to comment on reports indicating that the armed forces are running low on critical ammunition. They have also not explained how Iran continues to launch ballistic missiles after President Trump claimed during the initial phase of hostilities that the Islamic nation’s missile capability had been completely destroyed, a statement now appearing contradicted by the facts on the ground.

Gulf States in the Line of Fire

The occupant of the White House has attempted to downplay the casualties, declaring that the service members died “in service to our country” and arguing that the United States is waging war to protect its Gulf allies.

The president has also suggested that these countries should reimburse Washington and offer compensation for its role in security matters, specifically mentioning Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

However, critics contend that the wartime conflict has paradoxically placed Gulf States in the line of fire, given that U.S. and Israeli forces have used military bases situated in the region to launch attacks against Iran. International observers even label the White House’s military campaign as “disastrous,” noting that it has failed to achieve any of its strategic objectives and, conversely, “has harmed the American people, reconfigured West Asia detrimentally to U.S. interests, and further eroded the country’s global position,” reported HispanTV.

The public’s approval of Trump’s decision to launch aggression against Iran continues to plummet, evidencing the growing discontent with a war that, according to The New York Times report, keeps its true human cost hidden behind a shroud of military secrecy that raises doubts about the actual casualties and the interests truly being defended in the conflict.

La entrada The Hidden War: Report Accuses Pentagon of Concealing Casualties Amid Iranian Attacks se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.