By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the 10-day-old war ‌with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The ‌casualty figure has not been previously reported. Prior to Reuters' publication of the figure, the Pentagon ​had only disclosed eight U.S. personnel seriously injured.

In a statement after Reuters published its report, the Pentagon estimated the figure to be approximately 140 wounded and said the vast majority of them were minor.

"Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, ‌approximately 140 U.S. service members ⁠have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks," said chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.

He said 108 of the wounded ⁠service members had already returned to duty.

Parnell said the eight seriously wounded service members were receiving the highest level of medical care.

Reuters could not determine the types of ​injuries ​and whether they include traumatic brain injuries, ​which are common after exposure to ‌blasts.

Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28. It has also struck diplomatic missions in Arab Gulf states as well as hotels and airports and damaged oil infrastructure.

The Pentagon says the number of Iranian strikes has fallen sharply since the start of ‌the war, as the U.S. military bombs ​Iran's weapons inventories and targets Iran's more limited ​number of missile launchers.

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Asked if ​Iran was a stronger adversary than he expected when the ‌U.S. military drew up its war plans, ​General Dan Caine, ​chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters earlier on Tuesday that the fight was not harder than expected.

"I think they're fighting, and ​I respect that, but ‌I don't think they are more formidable than what we thought," ​Caine told a Pentagon briefing.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, ​Editing by Franklin Paul and Deepa Babington)

The Pentagon acknowledged Tuesday that the number of U.S. troops wounded in the war with Iran is far higher than it initially suggested in an unusual break from long-standing transparency norms about casualties in combat.

The Pentagon has long treated the public disclosure of casualty figures, including troops wounded in combat, as a core piece of its accountability to both the American public and the families of those who serve -- a practice which dates back to World War II.

Since the start of the conflict, the Pentagon only disclosed the number of "seriously" wounded -- injuries that can be life-threatening, according to Defense Department medical regulations -- though it's unclear how the Pentagon defined it in its initial disclosure of injuries.

Iran live updates

But on Tuesday, the DOD acknowledged that at least 140 service members have been wounded by Iranian retaliation attacks since the war started 10 days ago, according to Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, adding in a statement that "the vast majority of these injuries have been minor." Of that, 108 have been returned to duty.

The acknowledgment came only after ABC News and other news organizations pressed the Pentagon about its casualty figures, as sources with knowledge of the situation said the number of wounded troops appeared to be significantly higher than what it had publicly disclosed.

"Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care," Parnell said in the statement.

Hegseth says Trump, amid mixed messages on timeline and nation building, will decide when Iran war is over

Many of the most commonplace combat injuries are not inherently life-threatening, but can be crippling or otherwise life-altering, including traumatic brain injuries, a signature wound of contemporary conflicts due to blasts from improvised explosive devices and missile and drone attacks.

After Iran launched 15 ballistic missiles at U.S. forces at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq in January 2020, retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the first Trump administration initially said no troops had been injured.

That assessment was slowly revised by President Donald Trump, first minimizing the scope of the damage before ultimately acknowledging that 110 service members had been wounded, most suffering traumatic brain injuries, the kind of blast-related wounds that can carry lasting, life-altering effects.

Large US special ops force needed on ground to seize Iran's uranium, experts say

Seven service members have died so far during Operation Epic Fury, six of whom were killed in Kuwait in an Iranian drone attack, and one soldier in Saudi Arabia. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has consistently warned that more casualties should be expected.

"The president's been right to say there will be casualties," Hegseth said in an interview with the CBS New program "60 Minutes" on Sunday. "Things like this don't happen without casualties. There will be more casualties."

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that about 140 U.S. service members have been wounded since the U.S. war with Iran kicked off late last month.

“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to The Hill.

The “vast majority” of these injuries have been “minor” and 108 service members have returned to duty, according to Parnell, who added that eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are getting the “highest level of medical care.”

When asked about a Reuters report that about 150 U.S. Service members have been injured, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that figure is “within that ballpark” and referred reporters to the Pentagon for more information.

The injury toll comes as over the weekend, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced that a seventh U.S. service member has died in combat from serious injuries following the Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia. Six other service members were killed in an attack on a makeshift U.S. military operations center in Kuwait.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. attacks on Iran would intensify on Tuesday and that the U.S. is “winning” the battle.

“Today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran. The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes. Intelligence more refined and better than ever,” the Pentagon chief told reporters during Tuesday morning’s briefing.

The war has also come with a hefty price tag as the Pentagon has churned through around $5.6 billion worth of munitions during the first two days of the conflict, a congressional source familiar with the matter told The Hill on Monday night.

Both President Trump and Hegseth have said more casualties are expected as the war continues. The Pentagon chief last week criticized the media for making the deaths of U.S. service members front-page news.

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About 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in the first 10 days of conflict with Iran, according to the Pentagon.

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. Eight U.S. service members are currently “severely injured,” Parnell added.

The new figure is the first insight into the broader toll of injuries that have been sustained by U.S. troops in the wake of a barrage of retaliatory rocket and drone strikes from Iran that have also claimed the lives of seven soldiers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

At least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, at least 397 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel, according to officials.

Iran’s attacks on oil infrastructure and pledges to choke off a vital waterway left markets on edge Tuesday as the United States promised blistering new strikes. The war entered its 11th day with no end in sight as its effects were felt across the Middle East and beyond.

Iran launched new attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab countries, while Israel carried out waves of airstrikes on Iran and Lebanon, where it is battling Hezbollah militants.

Residents of Tehran said they had experienced some of the heaviest strikes of the war, leading to electricity cuts in many neighborhoods of the capital. One resident said his area shook for a half hour from strikes overnight and into Tuesday.

A 27-year-old mother of a toddler said she witnessed a residential building get hit. She and others reached by The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity to prevent reprisals. Tens of thousands of Iranians have sought shelter in the countryside.

Death toll rises in the Gulf

The United Arab Emirates reported two more deaths as nine drones struck the country, while nearly three dozen other drones and missiles were intercepted. Firefighters battled a blaze in the industrial city of Ruwais — home to petrochemical plants — after an Iranian drone strike, officials said. No injuries were reported there.

Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf country — home to the business and travel hub of Dubai — have killed six people and wounded 122 others since the U.S. and Israel launched a surprise bombardment of Iran on Feb. 28.

In Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian attack hit a residential building in the capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight people. Bahrain's Defense Ministry says it has intercepted over 100 ballistic missiles and 175 drones since the war began.

Sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and sounds of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv as Israel’s air defenses worked to intercept barrages from Iran. Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel after the start of the war, launched missiles into Israel.

US and Iranian leaders trade threats

At the Pentagon, Hegseth warned that Tuesday “will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran: The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever.” He added that the last 24 hours had seen the fewest Iranian missiles fired since the start of the war.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces hit more than 5,000 targets.

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Iran's leaders have remained defiant after days of heavy strikes targeting the country's leadership, military, ballistic missiles and disputed nuclear program. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said on X that Iran was “definitely not looking for a ceasefire.”

“We believe that the aggressor should be punched in the mouth so that he learns a lesson so that he will never think of attacking our beloved Iran again,” he said.

A top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, appeared to threaten Trump himself, writing on X that “Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.” Iran has been accused of plotting attempts to kill Trump in the past.

Attacks on oil aimed at pressuring the US

Iran has repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure with attacks that appear aimed at generating enough global economic pain to pressure the U.S. and Israel to end their strikes. It has also fired on Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.

Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $120 on Monday before falling back but was still at around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24% higher than when the war started on Feb. 28. The Dow Jones Industrial Average drifted lower initially on Tuesday, but turned positive as oil prices sank and hopes rose that wealthy industrialized countries could tap into strategic reserves.

Iran has effectively stopped tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil is carried. Attacks on merchant ships near the strait have killed at least seven sailors, according to the International Maritime Organization.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it “will not allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.”

Trump warned on social media that “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”

A bulk carrier likely came under attack on Tuesday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, with the captain reporting a splash and a loud bang nearby, according to a monitoring center run by the British military.

Amin Nasser, the president and CEO of Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco, said tankers were being rerouted to avoid the strait, and that its East-West pipeline would reach its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day being brought to the Red Sea port of the Yanbu this week.

“The situation at the Strait of Hormuz is blocking sizable volumes of oil from the whole region,” he said. “If this takes a long time, that will have serious impact on the global economy.”

Hundreds of thousands displaced by fighting

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 667,000 people in Lebanon had registered as displaced — an increase of over 100,000 since a day earlier — and more than 85,000 people from Lebanon, mostly Syrians, had entered neighboring Syria.

The British government said the number of commercial flights from the UAE to the U.K. is returning to normal levels, with 32 flights operated from Dubai to Britain on Monday and another 36 scheduled Tuesday.

However, British Airways said it has suspended flights to and from Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai and Tel Aviv until later this month.

Many foreign nationals have been getting out of the Persian Gulf region: Over 45,000 U.K. citizens have returned from the area since the conflict began, the British Foreign Office said, and some 40,000 people returned to the United States, according to the State Department.

Here’s the latest for Wednesday, March 11th: U.S. says it destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels; Pentagon says 140 U.S. military personnel wounded in war in Iran; Missile interceptions seen over Tel Aviv; Georgia special election for U.S. House seat goes to a runoff.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said it used $5.6 billion in munitions during the ‌first two days of strikes against Iran in a report ‌provided to U.S. congressional committees, a source familiar with the information said on Tuesday.

Members ​of Congress, who may soon have to approve additional funding for the war, have expressed concern that the conflict will deplete U.S. military stocks at a time when the defense industry was already struggling to ‌keep up with demand.

Trump ⁠met executives from seven defense contractors on Friday as the Pentagon worked to replenish supplies.

The administration has ⁠not provided a public assessment of the cost of the conflict it launched on Feb. 28 along with ally Israel.

Democratic members of Congress have ​clamored for ​more information, including public testimony ​from officials about issues including ‌how the conflict might affect the U.S. military's readiness to defend the country.

Administration officials have held several classified briefings for members of Congress and staff.

In a speech as he opened the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called ‌on administration officials to appear before ​Congress.

"When it comes to sending our servicemembers ​into harm's way, the American ​people need to understand why. But right now, ‌they don't even have a 'why.' That ​needs to change," ​Schumer said.

Several congressional aides have said they expect the White House to soon submit a request to Congress for additional ​funding for the war. ‌Some officials have said the request could be for $50 billion, ​but others have said that estimate seems low.

(Reporting by ​Patricia Zengerle; editing by David Gaffen)