U.S. Marines reportedly injured in Iranian attacks
A report from NBC News has been widely circulated. The story alleges that eight U.S. Marines were injured in recent attacks launched by Iranians. If true, this suggests increasing tensions – and danger – overseas.
by Summer Lane | September 28, 2026
A report citing three U.S. officials has alleged that eight U.S. Marines were injured after a September 14 attack in the Strait of Hormuz was launched by Iranians, resulting in non-life-threatening but nevertheless very real harm to U.S. servicemembers.
According to NBC News, the Marines were allegedly injured when Iranians launched a cruise missile at a U.S. ship operating in the Strait of Hormuz. It’s unclear what kind of a ship it was.
The injuries reported were smoke inhalation and possible traumatic brain injuries.
The U.S. military has been locked in conflict with Iran since February 28. As the war hit its seventh month on Monday, the latest reporting suggests that Iranian aggression in the Strait of Hormuz – the key shipping corridor in the Middle East – has not exactly cooled off.
Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, remarked on X that if the reporting from NBC was true, it means that U.S. troops are likely being used to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
“This a reckless and frivolous gamble with American lives, which we are foolishly opting to put at risk—not to thwart active terrorist threats to the homeland, but as an attempt to mitigate the damage we inflicted on ourselves & the global economy,” Kent assessed.
He continued, “Attaching U.S. military personnel to civilian ships makes those ships legitimate targets. This increases the threat level for all vessels and adds an even risker [sic] layer of complexity to the already challenging conditions we created in the SOH.”
According to the U.S. Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), 443 U.S. servicemembers have been injured in “Overseas Operations,” which the Department of Defense (War) appears to have been tracking since July 2026.
Prior to this summer, the DCAS tracked wounded and casualties in the initial conflict, “Operation Epic Fury,” which technically concluded over the summer. Wounded in action within the umbrella of OEF were 418.
That number, combined with Overseas Operations, amounts to a total of 861 wounded U.S. servicemembers since the launch of the war, according to the available data.
Photo: Adobe Stock
