TRUMP’S IRAN WAR HORROR! PENTAGON SNEAKILY RAISES DEATH TOLL TO 18 AS AMMO VANISHES
SOARING CASUALTIES
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS– “New data combined with updated totals show 18 US troops dead and another 624 wounded since the start of the war with Iran. That marks a significant increase in injuries from the previous peak of 482 observed by CNN last week.”
From 482 To 624 Wounded In One Week – Secret Database Update Sparks Panic
KEY ISSUES ITEMISED – WITH FULL ORIGINAL QUOTATIONS:
1. BREAKING
“Pentagon quietly updates war casualty figures; Trump hears concerns about munitions”
2. AT A GLANCE
“Casualty figures rise; munition stores drop”
3. SECRECY QUESTIONED
“There are multiple major questions about what the Trump administration is sharing with the public about the war with Iran.”
4. QUIET UPDATE EXPOSED
“First, CNN’s Davis Winkie reports that the Pentagon has quietly updated its war casualty database.”
6. OPERATION EPIC FURY
“The figures combine casualties reported for Operation Epic Fury, the name for the war when it was announced on February 28, and those for “Overseas Operations,” which the Pentagon data shows as starting July 7.”
Winkie writes:
Beyond the July 7 starting date, the new “overseas operation” category on the DCAS site does not include any distinguishing details or specify the conflict in which the casualties occur, and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions seeking clarification on what the category covers. The category features a by-name list of fallen troops, though, that includes the three Army soldiers killed in Jordan due to an Iranian strike and the soldier killed in northern Iraq last weekend during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone.
The July 7 date coincides with when President Donald Trump claimed a new conflict with Iran began in a War Powers notification the administration sent to Congress earlier this month. (The War Powers Act of 1973 requires the president to end military operations within 60 days unless authorized by Congress to continue; the Trump administration argued that the April ceasefire with Iran stopped the clock on May 1 for the conflict’s initial period.)
Lawmakers of both parties have argued against the administration’s interpretation of the War Powers clock, though some analysts and officials contend that the act itself represents an unconstitutional limit on presidential war-making authority. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued the law is “unconstitutional, 100 percent” during a May press briefing at the White House. Read the full report.
Trump hears concern that US munitions are under strain
There are also new questions about whether the US military has the munitions it needs for the war. The US paused attacks on Iran for a third straight night Sunday, something Trump said was meant to allow room for negotiation at Iran’s request. Iran said no talks are underway. Get updates from the day.
CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Kevin Liptak and Jim Sciutto have also reported that Trump was getting warnings about stockpiles. They write:
Vice President JD Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine both raised concerns about escalating the war in Iran as President Donald Trump weighed the possibility during a White House meeting on Friday, a source familiar with the matter and a US official told CNN.
On Friday night, the US appeared to pause its bombing campaign on Iran after nearly two weeks of consecutive nights of strikes. Operations are “on a hold,” a Department of Defense source told CNN on Saturday.
On Friday, Caine specifically raised concerns about the US munitions stockpile and other potential negative implications, according to the sources. One of the sources said that Caine told Trump and the US military they could carry out the options available to him and be successful but then warned of the possible implications. Read their full report.
At every fork in the road, Trump’s options get worse
Concern about the size of the US munitions stockpile has been a recurring theme throughout the war. So have questions about whether or not Iran and the US are negotiating. CNN’s Stephen Collinson writes that as the war drags on, Trump’s options become less and less attractive.
Trump finds himself back in a familiar spot. He’s tried to coerce Iranian concessions with intensified attacks. But this plan is not working any better now than it did after the initial round of fighting. He could increase the pressure by deploying ground troops, a move that might take advantage of the US military edge. But this would risk significant US casualties in an already deeply unpopular war.
Nearly five months into a war he’d said would take a few weeks, Trump keeps trying to create maneuvering space against Tehran. But all the strategy seems to do is leave him with less room and worse choices.
The end of the ceasefire has also driven gas prices back up. Collinson tries to assess which of Trump’s options is least bad. He could follow through on threats to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure, which could further ensnare the US military in the country. He could reimpose a blockade of Iranian ships, but that would hurt the world economy. He could revive the ceasefire and its memorandum of understanding, but that would likely mean giving in to Iran’s argument that it now has the right to monetize traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. None of that sounds like a way out. Read Collinson’s full analysis.
SOURCE ==CNN==EXCEPT THE HEADLINE AND INTRO PLUS A FEW PARAGRAPHS
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