The Pentagon revised its online casualty count for American service members killed during the war in Iran, lowering the figure from 18 to 14 within a day. The update came after the Defense Department’s casualties website initially reported 18 deaths on Wednesday, but by Thursday morning, the number had been adjusted downward.

Three military officials, speaking anonymously, attributed the change in part to a decision by the Trump administration to exclude four service members who died after President Donald Trump declared a cease-fire in April—three of whom were killed in Jordan and one in northern Iraq. Officials described internal discussions at the Pentagon as sensitive. The acting Pentagon press secretary, Joel Valdez, however, attributed the discrepancy to “temporary data disruptions” on the website, assuring that the issues would be resolved promptly.

Since the cease-fire collapsed, the Pentagon has been reticent about disclosing details of U.S. military operations and casualties in Iran. The last significant briefing occurred in early May, with officials citing operational security as a reason for withholding information about Iranian strikes on bases housing U.S. troops. The Pentagon did not publicize three Iranian attacks in Jordan last week that injured dozens of service members and damaged multiple helicopters, according to U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In response to a deadly Iranian strike in Jordan on Friday that killed three U.S. soldiers, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the total number of American casualties since July 7 had approached 100. The department has clarified that while it is legally required to report deaths, it is not obligated to disclose troop injuries. This stance has drawn criticism from some Democratic senators and military experts who argue for greater transparency about the conduct of the war.

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, a former U.S. commander in Europe, criticized the Trump administration’s handling of casualty information, saying it reflects “an unwillingness or inability to aggressively learn from mistakes.” He further suggested that the administration struggles to be forthright about the broader scope of the conflict.

Casualty reporting has taken on political significance, particularly given statements by Trump and former Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who have faulted President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, and Vice President Kamala Harris for the deaths of 13 American service members during a 2021 suicide attack in Kabul. Trump has publicly maintained that these officials were responsible for those deaths.

The Pentagon also categorizes casualties by cause, distinguishing those killed in hostilities from those who died in accidents. As of Wednesday, the data indicated that 11 service members had been killed in combat-related incidents while seven died in accidents connected to the war effort. The accident fatalities include the crew of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq in March.

Valdez criticized efforts to compare troop deaths between the Trump and Biden administrations as politicizing the sacrifices of U.S. military personnel. After the updated count appeared on the Pentagon’s website, he termed the earlier reporting discrepancies “site anomalies” and reaffirmed the department’s commitment to accurate casualty data.

Despite the revision, Trump continued to reference the higher casualty figure, stating that while any death is “too many,” the toll stood at 18. On Wednesday, he was present at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to receive the remains of four fallen service members, describing them as “great heroes.”

Peter Feaver, a political science professor at Duke University specializing in military affairs, emphasized the personal impact behind the statistics. “It’s important to remember that every one of those numbers is a personal story,” he said.