TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - About 140 United States troops have been injured since the U.S. and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, according to the Pentagon.
“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 US service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement cited by Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
Parnell said most of the injuries were minor, with many personnel already returning to duty.
“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care."
His statement followed a report by Reuters, which cited two unnamed U.S. officials saying that around 150 troops had been injured during the first 10 days of the conflict.
The U.S. military has also confirmed seven deaths resulting from Iranian attacks across the region. On Monday, officials said an eighth service member died in Kuwait due to what they described as a “health-related incident.”
Iran launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East in response to the earlier airstrikes. The attacks followed a major escalation in which Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and more than 1,300 others were reported killed.
U.S. President Donald Trump has not ruled out the possibility of deploying American ground troops to Iran.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump described the conflict as “very complete” and suggested it could end soon. However, several of his aides indicated that a broader military campaign had only just begun and would continue until its objectives were achieved.
When asked which assessment was accurate, Trump replied: “I think you could say both.”
Trump also described the conflict as the “beginning of building a new country,” claiming that Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly weakened.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that the military campaign was progressing faster than initially expected.
“The president and the US military’s initial timeline was about four to six weeks to achieve the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” she said.
According to Leavitt, the goals include destroying Iran’s missile capabilities and production facilities, crippling its navy, permanently preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons, and weakening what Washington describes as Tehran’s proxy groups in the region.
Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. Israel, meanwhile, is widely believed to possess a covert nuclear arsenal.
After U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, Trump said Washington had “destroyed” Iran’s nuclear program.
Leavitt said Trump would ultimately determine when the campaign’s objectives — including what he has described as Iran’s “unconditional surrender” — had been achieved.
“President Trump will determine when Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender — when they no longer pose a credible and direct threat to the United States of America and our allies,” she said.
