Eight US Marines injured in previously undisclosed Iranian missile strike in Strait of Hormuz, NBC reports

Eight US Marines were injured two weeks ago when an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile struck a maritime vessel they were operating in the Strait of Hormuz, NBC News reported on Sunday, citing three US officials.

The Marines, part of a battalion landing team, suffered smoke inhalation and concussion-like symptoms including persistent headaches, raising the possibility of traumatic brain injuries. The officials said the injuries were not serious: seven enlisted personnel and one officer, all of whom returned to duty shortly after the September 14 attack.

The targeted vessel was not a US Navy ship, the officials said, declining to identify its type and describing it only as a “maritime vessel”. Neither the attack nor the injuries had previously been reported. The Pentagon did not publicly disclose an attack against US forces in the region on September 14, and US Central Command declined to comment to NBC.

The disclosure adds to scrutiny of the Pentagon’s casualty accounting in the conflict with Iran, which began in February. The injuries were entered into the Defence Department’s casualty database about ten days after the strike, bringing the tally of US service members listed as wounded in the conflict to 861. A defence official attributed the lag to symptoms that emerge days later and a reporting system that does not update in real time.

Sources

• Hindustan Times: Eight US Marines injured after Iranian missile strikes vessel in Strait of Hormuz (NBC News original reporting)
• TRT World: Eight US Marines injured in Iranian missile strike on vessel in Strait of Hormuz — report
• The Jerusalem Post: Eight US Marines injured in recent, undisclosed Iranian attack on ship in Hormuz
• Arab Times: Eight US Marines injured in Iranian missile strike in Strait of Hormuz: NBC