The Washington Post, citing six unnamed Pentagon officials, reports that at least 22 US troops have been killed since the start of the Iran war, four more than the 18 deaths the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged. The Pentagon has declined to address the discrepancy, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the report as "a complete lie." The gap between official and reported figures raises questions about transparency in wartime casualty accounting, a matter of significant public and congressional concern.