Bombshell Report Reveals Trump Admin Removed US Troops’ Names From Iran Casualty List

(Alex Brandon/AP photo)

President Donald Trump’s administration removed four American service members from the Pentagon’s public Iran war casualty count after determining they died following the president’s April ceasefire declaration, according to a bombshell report from The New York Times.

The outlet reported Thursday that the Defense Department’s casualty website listed 18 U.S. service members killed in the conflict on Wednesday before the figure was reduced to 14 the following day. Three military officials told the Times that the change reflected a decision to exclude four troops killed over the weekend because their deaths occurred after Trump declared a ceasefire in April. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.

Pentagon acting press secretary Joel Valdez disputed that characterization, telling the Times the change stemmed from “temporary data disruptions” and “anomalies” affecting the website that he said would soon be corrected.

“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,” Valdez told the outlet in an email, adding, “We remain committed to ensuring the utmost accuracy of all casualty reporting.”

The report comes as the Pentagon has released relatively little information about the war since the ceasefire collapsed. According to the Times, citing several anonymous U.S. officials, the department also withheld information about three Iranian strikes in Jordan last week that left dozens of U.S. service members hurt and damaged multiple helicopters.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who previously commanded U.S. Army forces in Europe, criticized the administration’s handling of casualty information.

“The administration seems to have a real hard time being honest about what is going on — not just about casualties, but about the whole war in general,” Hodges told the Times.

He added that downplaying troop deaths suggests “an unwillingness or inability to aggressively learn from mistakes.”

Despite the revised casualty figures appearing on the Pentagon’s website, Trump continued citing the higher total on Thursday, saying that while even one death “is too many,” “it’s 18.”

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