Pete Hegseth Rages Over 'Disgusting Lie' After the Pentagon Is Accused of Not Disclosing the Deaths of American Troops
Pete Hegseth was quick to call out the 'Washington Post.'
Sept. 21 2026, Published 1:12 p.m. ET
Pete Hegseth accused the Washington Post on Friday, September 18, of lying about American combat deaths after the news outlet reported that the Pentagon's public casualty list understates how many U.S. troops have died in the Middle East during the war with Iran, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Pete Hegseth Fires Back
Hegseth raged after 'The Washington Post' reported the Pentagon has failed to reveal all of the American combat deaths during the Iran war.
Hegseth quoted the Post's own post about the story and wrote on X: "This is DISGUSTING and FAKE. A complete LIE. Shame on the Washington Post – they're worse than Iranian state media."
The outburst was the administration's first public answer to the report. President Trump did not comment, and the Pentagon did not release a new official death toll.
What 'The Washington Post' is Reporting
Sen. Thom Tillis recently said Hegseth 'needs to go' amid the controversy.
Citing six U.S. officials familiar with the Defense Department's internal casualty records, the Post reported that more service members have died in the region since the war began than appear in the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System.
Five of the officials put the internal total at least at 22, four more than the 18 deaths shown on the public site on Friday. A sixth official said 23 service members have died since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel opened the war.
One said not every undisclosed death was caused directly by the fighting, but that the additional losses involved U.S. personnel who were in the Middle East while hostilities were underway.
Official 18 Deaths Listed Under Two Operations
President Trump has stuck by Hegseth through the drama.
The public database listed 14 fatalities under Operation Epic Fury, the administration's name for the Iran war, and four more under a separate heading called Overseas Operations. Those four deaths are tied to fighting after a July cease-fire collapsed and attacks resumed.
Over the summer, renewed hostilities were placed in that second category rather than under Epic Fury.
The same database listed more than 820 service members wounded since the conflict began, many with traumatic brain injuries from strikes on U.S. bases. The Post also reported that three U.S. contractors in the region have died since combat started.
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The Iran War Deaths Adjusted
Hegseth was confirmed Jan. 24, 2025, on a 51-50 vote.
In late July, The New York Times reported that the casualty website had listed 18 Americans killed in the Iran war and then dropped the figure to 14. Three military officials told the Times the four most recent deaths were taken off the Iran-war line because they occurred after Trump declared a cease-fire.
The acting Pentagon press secretary at the time, Joel Valdez, attributed the change to temporary data disruptions and site anomalies and said the department remained committed to accurate casualty reporting.
Those four deaths later reappeared under Overseas Operations, along with additional wounded, which is why the combined public total is 18 again.
