US-Iran war: Around 100 American service members injured in July as Tehran strikes Washington's bases in Middle East

As the United States and Iran continue to trade strikes after the fragile ceasefire deal collapsed earlier this month, roughly 100 American service members have been injured in several Iranian airstrikes on bases in the Middle East this month.

In a statement to CBS News on Monday (local time), Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the numbers, stating that roughly 100 people "were deemed to have some degree of injury since July 7, 2026." He added that 96 per cent of them have returned to duty since then.

He noted, "They are determined to get back in the fight. The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions."

US-Iran hostilities flare up

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell's remarks come at a time when hostilities between the US and Iran have flared up after a months-long interim ceasefire deal between the two countries collapsed. Earlier in June, Washington and Tehran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aimed to end hostilities in the region on an interim basis. It also paved the way for the two sides to work on a broader framework to end the conflict in the region permanently as negotiators tried to resolve issues regarding the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme over a mutually decided period of 60 days.

The US military has carried out overnight strikes on Iranian targets for 10 consecutive days, stating that it seeks to stop Tehran from attacking commercial ships, with the Islamic Republic retaliating by attacking US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and other allies in the region.

Last week, at least two US service members were killed, while several others reportedly suffered injuries after Tehran attacked US bases in Jordan. The Department of Defense (DoD) announced over the weekend that while two American troops were killed, unidentified remains were found at the location where a third service member went missing. On 19 July, another service member was killed in Iraq during a "controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone."

Separately, earlier this month, several other US service members were injured during attacks on Jordanian military bases.

413 service members injured since February

While the Pentagon has not released the exact number of service members injured or damage assessments from the latest round of attacks by Iran, the military's Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) lists 413 service members who have been wounded in action since the conflict began in late February.

However, the count does not include any injuries that have been reported in July so far. Elsewhere on the DCAS website, the US military lists 427 injuries. A total of 17 soldiers have been killed ever since the US-Iran conflict began, and at least three casualties were reported last week.

Trump vows to retaliate for soldiers' deaths

Last week, US President Donald Trump reacted to the deaths of two American troops and called it "a very sad thing." On Monday, in a Truth Social post, he vowed to retaliate for the deaths in Jordan and Iraq. The US President wrote, "Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!"

Trump added that a directive has already been issued to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and other military leaders.

As tensions continue to escalate, both Tehran and Washington have stated that they are open to diplomatic exchanges, hinting at a possible truce. However, it remains to be seen whether the two sides will finally be able to achieve a ceasefire deal that would end the conflict and bring stability to the region.