Iran war enters day 17: 200 U.S. troops wounded, 13 killed
- Input
- 2026-03-17 09:36:17
- Updated
- 2026-03-17 09:36:17
The Financial News reported that as the United States of America (USA) and the State of Israel have continued their attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran for the 17th consecutive day, the cumulative number of U.S. troops wounded by Iranian retaliatory strikes has reached about 200. U.S. officials have emphasized that most suffered only minor injuries and claimed that many have already returned to duty.
Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. military operations in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the broader Middle East, conveyed this in an email to the British daily The Guardian on the 16th (local time). He stated that since the launch of Operation Epic Fury by the United States of America (USA) and the State of Israel on the 28th of last month, "around 200 U.S. service members have been injured." He added that "most of the injuries were minor" and noted that 180 of the wounded have returned to duty. Hawkins did not answer follow-up questions about the specific nature of the injuries.
On the same day, Hawkins also told American Broadcasting Company (ABC) that 10 of the wounded were in "serious" condition. The injured personnel were reported to have been hurt in seven Middle Eastern countries, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Republic of Iraq, the State of Israel, Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia), and The United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As of the 16th, the cumulative U.S. death toll stands at 13, including six crew members of an aerial refueling aircraft that crashed in the Republic of Iraq on the 12th.
Earlier, United States Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on the 10th that since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the cumulative number of U.S. military fatalities was about 140, and 108 wounded personnel had returned to duty. At that time, he said that eight of the injured were in serious condition.
pjw@fnnews.com Reporter Park Jong-won Reporter