The Pentagon said eight service members remained in critical condition as the White House hailed progress on the attack.
listen to this article3 minutes
information
Published March 10, 2026
The United States has confirmed that approximately 140 military personnel have been injured since the war against Iran began on February 28.
Most of the injured were minor, the Pentagon said in a statement Tuesday.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“Approximately 140 U.S. military personnel have been injured in 10 days of sustained attacks since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
“The majority of these injuries are minor and 108 service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as seriously injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care.”
The statement came after Reuters published a report citing two anonymous officials as saying 150 military personnel had been injured in the first 10 days of the war.
The US military has confirmed seven deaths from Iranian attacks across the region. The newspaper announced on Monday that eight military personnel had died in “health-related incidents” in Kuwait.
Iran responded to a US-Israeli bombing campaign that killed more than 1,250 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with missile and drone attacks on US military bases in Israel and the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump has not ruled out sending US troops to Iran.
On Monday, the US president said the war was “very complete” and would soon be over. But his aides said the military operation had just begun and would continue until all objectives were achieved.
Asked which assessment was true, President Trump told reporters on Monday: “I think you can say both.”
President Trump said the war marked “the beginning of a new nation-building” and stressed that Iran’s military assets were deteriorating.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt reiterated Tuesday that the U.S. strike is ahead of schedule.
“The original schedule of the President and the U.S. military was that it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” Levitt said.
She further added that the goal is to “destroy their missiles and their manufacturing capabilities, destroy their navy, permanently deny them nuclear weapons forever, and, of course, weaken their evil terrorist proxies in the region.”
Although Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons and insists its nuclear program is peaceful, Israel is widely believed to have a secret nuclear arsenal.
After the United States attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, President Trump claimed that the United States had “killed” Iran’s nuclear program.
Levitt said Tuesday that President Trump will decide when the war’s objectives, including Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” will be achieved.
“President Trump will determine when Iran is in a position of unconditional surrender, meaning when Iran no longer poses a credible and direct threat to the United States and our allies,” she said.
