Pentagon Raises U.S. Death Toll in Iran War to 23 After Two More Airmen Added to Database

The Pentagon has raised its official count of U.S. service members who have died in the war with Iran to 23.

Two airmen were added to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the military's official casualty record, in updates Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Thursday, Oct. 29. Both deaths were classified as nonhostile. The Air Force said one airman died of an illness. The cause of the other death has not been disclosed and is under investigation. The Air Force has released no further details on either.

What the database shows

Of the 23 dead, 11 were killed by enemy fire and 12 died of nonhostile causes. Nonhostile deaths now narrowly outnumber combat deaths.

Six of the 12 nonhostile deaths came from the March crash of a U.S. refueling tanker in Iraq, which killed everyone aboard.

Another 865 troops have been wounded by enemy fire. More than half of those, 448, were wounded after the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran broke down into rounds of retaliatory strikes.

The Pentagon splits the numbers into two categories:

• Operation Epic Fury, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28: 15 deaths, 417 wounded.
• Overseas Operations, covering casualties since July 7: eight deaths, 448 wounded.

The two new airmen are in the second group.

A count that keeps moving

This is the second upward revision this month. On Oct. 9, the Pentagon moved the total to 21 by adding Maj. Sorffly Davius, 46, an Army National Guard officer who died March 6 in Kuwait, and a Navy sailor who died by suicide in September. A Pentagon official, speaking anonymously, described the sailor's death as a suicide.

The Washington Post reported in September that the Pentagon's database undercounted casualties. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who holds the title Secretary of War, called that report "fake" and a "complete lie." The database was then corrected.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon briefly removed four troops killed in July from the database. It restored them under the "Overseas Operations" label created after President Donald Trump announced the end of Epic Fury while fighting continued.

Reps. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania responded to the Oct. 9 correction. They said there was "no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude" and demanded changes to policies and procedures so it is not repeated. Senate Democrats had earlier written to the Pentagon about "inconsistent casualty figures."

The Pentagon has not publicly explained why the earlier deaths were missing from the database.

The price tag

U.S. Central Command told Congress the war had cost taxpayers $47.1 billion as of Oct. 16, according to an estimate obtained by The Associated Press. That is up $3.5 billion from about $43.6 billion in early September.

Most of the money, about $29 billion, goes to replacing munitions. Defensive interceptors, such as those fired by Patriot and THAAD systems, are the most heavily drawn-down stocks. A single Patriot interceptor costs millions of dollars.

The White House is asking Congress for a $95 billion package to fund the Iran war and other priorities, and is pushing a $1.5 trillion military budget.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will keep trying to end the war. "Trump and his ego led us into this war with no plan, no authority, and no exit strategy," he said. Democratic legislation to end it has failed in the Republican-controlled Congress.

A recent AP-NORC poll found most voters want Congress to prioritize ending the conflict. The war began in late February, and Trump initially promised a campaign lasting weeks. Wednesday marked eight months.

What comes after Tuesday

Trump has said new strikes on Iran are an option after the midterms and is sending more military resources to the region. Two diplomats told the AP that U.S. officials have warned regional allies to prepare for renewed hostilities after the election. The diplomats said Trump has not made a final decision.

On the campaign trail, Trump has said the war will end whenever he wants it to.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Wednesday on X that Tehran is working with mediators to improve a peace proposal from last month that Trump rejected. He said Iran "continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed." The United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry urged both sides to "exercise wisdom and pursue political solutions" instead of resuming full-scale operations.

Voters decide control of Congress on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Whether Trump resumes large-scale strikes afterward is undecided, and the $95 billion funding request and the $1.5 trillion budget remain before the lawmakers who win those seats.