The Pentagon revised its online count of American military casualties in the ongoing war involving Iran, lowering the total number of U.S. service members killed from 18 to 14. The Defense Department made this adjustment between Wednesday and Thursday of this week, amid conflicting explanations for the change.

Three U.S. defense officials, speaking anonymously, attributed the revision to a decision by the Trump administration to exclude four recent casualties—three service members killed in Jordan and one in northern Iraq—from the war tally. These deaths occurred after President Donald Trump declared a cease-fire in April, prompting officials to remove them from the war-related casualty list. Meanwhile, Joel Valdez, the Pentagon’s acting press secretary, characterized the shift as a result of “temporary data disruptions” on the casualty tracking website, indicating that the issues would be promptly corrected.

Since the breakdown of the cease-fire, the Pentagon has been largely reticent regarding updates on U.S. military strategy and slow to release information on troop injuries. The last comprehensive briefing on the conflict was held in early May, and officials have cited operational security concerns as a reason for limiting disclosures. Recent Iranian attacks on U.S. bases, including strikes in Jordan last week that injured dozens of American service members and damaged helicopters, have not been publicly acknowledged by the Defense Department. Three soldiers were killed in the Jordan strike on Friday, bringing the total number of American fatalities since July 7 to nearly 100, according to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

Under current regulations, the Pentagon is obligated to report deaths but not injuries sustained by troops in the field. Critics, including some Democratic senators, argue that the administration has a responsibility to provide transparent and timely information about the conduct of the war. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who commanded U.S. forces in Europe early in the Trump administration, criticized what he described as a lack of candor not only regarding casualties but also the broader war effort. He said minimizing troop deaths impedes the ability to learn from mistakes.

The issue of casualty reporting carries political significance, as both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have linked the responsibility for deaths under their watch to their predecessors, including President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, and Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump has repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for the 13 American service members killed in a 2021 suicide attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Pentagon casualty figures differentiate between those killed in combat and those who died in accidents related to military operations. As of Wednesday, 11 service members had died from hostile actions and seven from non-hostile incidents, including a March crash of a KC-135 refueling aircraft in Iraq. On Thursday morning, the online casualty tally reflected 14 deaths, with half classified as resulting from hostile engagements. Valdez dismissed efforts to compare casualties under different administrations as attempts to politicize wartime sacrifices.

President Trump, however, has continued to cite the higher casualty figure, highlighting the losses as significant and attending the return of the four fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base. Political science professor Peter Feaver noted that every casualty represents a personal tragedy, emphasizing the human cost behind the statistics.

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing a comprehensive review of the Afghanistan withdrawal that Defense Secretary Hegseth commissioned. The review aims to ensure accountability to both the American public and service members, as announced by Pentagon leadership last year.