Pentagon says about 140 troops wounded, 8 severely, in war with Iran

About 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in the war with Iran, a Pentagon official said Tuesday, as personnel remain under threat from drones and missiles that have left seven U.S. troops dead.

The vast majority of the wounded had minor injuries, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, adding that 108 have returned to duty. Eight are severely wounded, he said, and “receiving the highest level of medical care.”

One of the recent fatalities, Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, died days after he was injured in an attack in Saudi Arabia. The other six were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait.

The number of wounded underscores the pernicious threat of Iranian drones and missiles, which have targeted troops on U.S. bases across the Middle East.

Defense officials have previously described the number of wounded as less than a dozen, specifying them as the most grievously injured. Parnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the types of injuries suffered and the increased casualty figures. The disclosure came soon after Reuters reported the number of wounded, prompting frustration on Capitol Hill that the Pentagon was not proactively announcing the casualty figures.

“Just own it and be transparent,” said a congressional aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing personnel matters. “You owe it to the service members.”