Eight U.S. Marines were injured two weeks ago when an Iranian cruise missile attacked the ship on which they were operating in the Strait of Hormuz, NBC reported on Sunday night, citing three unnamed U.S. officials. This previously unreported incident, which occurred on Sept. 14, is feeding the suspicion among military families and others that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is hiding the true costs of the U.S. war on Iran from the American public. The Washington Post, citing unnamed officials, reported on Sept. 18 that the U.S. death toll in the war on Iran since Feb. 28 was actually four higher than the 18 being reported at the time. The Pentagon has since added one more, a soldier who died of a “medical incident” on Sept. 18, to bring the official death toll to 19.
According to the NBC report, the Marines in the Sept. 14 incident were not seriously wounded, suffering mainly smoke inhalation and concussion-related symptoms, including headaches. The Marines, one officer and seven of them enlisted, all returned to duty soon after the attack, the U.S. officials said. The officials said the Marines were operating as part of a battalion landing team during the Iranian anti-ship cruise missile attack. The Marines were reportedly not aboard a U.S. Navy ship, but another ship that the officials would identify only as “a maritime vessel.”
Al Jazeera noted yesterday that in recent days, Iranian state-linked media had claimed that U.S. warships had pulled back earlier this month from their previous line of blockade positions. Previously positioned closer to the Iranian port of Chabahar and the entrance to the Gulf of Oman, the media reports said they had now moved further into the central Arabian Sea, reportedly to avoid Iranian missiles.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appeared to make a reference to U.S. naval movements in the latest message attributed to him, published by state media on Monday. He said that U.S. forces no longer venture beyond the Arabian Sea, given the painful blows they have received from brave and powerful Iranian combatants and the defenders of the Strait of Hormuz, reported Mehr News. Khamenei added that whenever they took the risk of doing so, they suffered damage themselves, adding that it will not be long before the Arabian Sea, too, is cleared of their presence.
