"Did the Defense Department Hide It?" Eight U.S. Marines Injured by Iranian Cruise Missile, Raising Concerns About Brain Damage

[Financial News] It has belatedly emerged that eight U.S. Marines conducting an operation in the Strait of Hormuz two weeks ago were injured, including possible brain damage, in an Iranian cruise missile attack. With allegations that the United States Department of Defense is downplaying the number of casualties, public dissatisfaction in the United States over the increasingly protracted war with Iran is expected to grow.
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) reported on the 27th (local time), citing three officials, that a total of eight Marines were injured in an Iranian cruise missile attack on the 14th: one officer and seven enlisted Marines from a battalion landing team.
The injured Marines avoided life-threatening serious injuries, but they are experiencing concussion symptoms, including headaches and smoke inhalation, raising concerns about possible traumatic brain injuries. According to the officials, the Marines were not aboard a naval vessel when the attack occurred. They were pulled out of the operation and returned immediately afterward. NBC added that the officials did not specify the type of vessel that was struck, referring to it only as a "maritime vessel."
The issue is that the DoD has so far released no information about the attack on the 14th, while NAVCENT has also declined to comment.
Claims have recently emerged in the United States that the DoD is deliberately underreporting casualties from the war with Iran. The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 18th, citing six U.S. officials familiar with internal casualty figures, that at least 22 to 23 U.S. servicemembers had been killed in operations across the Middle East since the war began on February 28—more than the 19 deaths officially announced by the DoD.
Meanwhile, ahead of the November midterm elections, President of the United States Donald Trump rejected Iran's negotiating proposal while leaving room for dialogue. In an interview with online news outlet Axios about Iran's recently proposed "seven-day plan," which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz within a week if the naval blockade is lifted, Trump flatly rejected it, saying, "They want a deal, but it is not the deal I want." He nevertheless indicated that back-channel contacts were continuing, saying, "I expect additional negotiations with Iran to take place this week."


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter