The US Department of Defense failed to publicly disclose a September 14 anti-ship attack that wounded a group of service members in the Strait of Hormuz. An Iranian cruise missile struck a vessel operated by a battalion landing team, causing smoke inhalation and traumatic brain injuries for seven enlisted Marines and one officer, according to three US officials cited by NBC News. All affected personnel subsequently returned to duty. The Pentagon refused to identify the specific vessel, describing it only as a "maritime vessel" and confirming it was not a US Navy warship.

These injuries were among 37 new additions to a public casualty registry on Wednesday, bringing the total wounded in the conflict with Iran to 861. The update, which includes 29 Navy sailors and 8 Marines, was made without an accompanying news briefing, as the Pentagon has not held a public press conference since May 5. The Trump administration has further reclassified more than half of all conflict casualties as "Overseas Operations" rather than "Operation Epic Fury."