Pentagon Lowers Iran War Death Toll After Trump Administration Removes Four Service Members

The Pentagon lowered its official death toll for the Iran war to 14 from 18 in the space of a day, after the Trump administration removed four service members killed this month from the count, according to the defense casualty analysis system.

The Pentagon's casualty database showed seven of the 14 total deaths were classified as "hostile." The New York Times reported the change in count earlier.

Three military officials told the Times that the four service members killed this past weekend — three in Jordan and one in northern Iraq — were struck from the list because their deaths came after President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire in April. All of the deaths listed on Thursday U.S. time on the website, which said it was updated as of Wednesday, occurred in March.

The Pentagon and the State Department did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.

The acting press secretary for the Pentagon, Joel Valdez, attributed the change to "temporary data disruptions" on the department's casualty website that he said would be fixed quickly, according to the Times.

The revision came amid scrutiny of the administration's handling of casualty data as the Middle East conflict drags on.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said on Monday that Trump has not shared Iran war casualty statistics with Congress and that "there has been no transparency from the President or the Pentagon about the full extent of equipment losses and casualty statistics."

The Pentagon has released little on U.S. military strategy since the ceasefire collapsed and hasn't held a major briefing on the war since early May.

Trump himself has used the higher figure for the death toll. At an event on Thursday, he said, "I had a very sad day yesterday. I went to Dover, four great American patriots killed. That's 18 … and one is too many, but it's 18."