The US Pentagon has updated its official Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) database to show a combined total of 18 troops killed and 624 wounded since the United States launched military operations against Iran on 28 February. The update, made quietly over the weekend, added more than 140 newly recorded wounded personnel and introduced a separate casualty category for fighting that resumed after 6 July, following the collapse of a ceasefire — a move critics say is designed to reset the clock on the War Powers Act of 1973, which requires congressional authorisation for military operations beyond 60 days. Lawmakers from both parties have rejected this interpretation, with Republican Representative Thomas Massie accusing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth of breaking the law by continuing operations past 90 days without congressional approval.