Eight US Marines injured in Iranian attack in Hormuz: NBC

• An Iranian anti-ship cruise missile struck a maritime vessel operating in the Strait of Hormuz on Sept. 14.
• The affected personnel were seven enlisted Marines and one officer.
• The injured suffered smoke inhalation and concussion-like symptoms but returned to duty shortly after.
• US officials confirmed the Marines were operating as part of a battalion landing team aboard a non-US Navy maritime ship.
• Unannounced at the time, the Pentagon later added the eight Marines to the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
• Total US service member injuries in the conflict to 861.

Eight US Marines were injured two weeks ago when an Iranian cruise missile struck a maritime vessel operating in the Strait of Hormuz, according to three US officials cited in an investigative report by NBC News.

The previously undisclosed attack occurred on Sept. 14 as the Marines were operating as part of a battalion landing team, NBC reported.

The eight service members -consisting of seven enlisted Marines and one officer- sustained smoke inhalation and potential traumatic brain injuries, displaying concussion symptoms such as headaches.

According to US officials speaking to NBC, the injuries were not severe, and all eight Marines returned to duty shortly after the strike.

Marines were operating aboard non-US Navy vessel

US officials emphasized to NBC that the Marines were not aboard a US Navy ship at the time of the Iranian missile strike.

Officials declined to provide specific details regarding the class or owner of the ship, referring to it broadly as a "maritime vessel."

The Department of War did not publicly announce any Sept. 14 attacks targeting American forces in the region, NBC reported.

When approached for comment on the incident and the resulting injuries, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM) declined to comment, while a War Department spokesperson referred inquiries back to CENTCOM, according to NBC.

Pentagon database reflects rising casualty counts

NBC reported that since the war involving the US, 'Israel', and Iran began in February, there has been growing confusion regarding total casualty figures, contrasting with standard routine disclosures in past overseas conflicts.

The Pentagon recently lowered the official summer death toll after reclassifying how certain service members died.

The Pentagon tracks service member deaths and injuries via the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS).

According to NBC, DCAS data indicated that 861 US service members had been injured in the conflict as of Wednesday, when the eight Marines were officially added to the list of injured troops assigned to Overseas Operations, nearly ten days after the attack.

A US official told NBC that reporting delays are common because symptoms do not always manifest immediately and the tracking system does not update in real time.

The public DCAS records do not include specific details regarding where, when, or how the eight Marines were injured.

More than 50,000 US service members remain deployed within the CENTCOM area of responsibility, including two carrier strike groups, the USS George Washington and the USS George H.W. Bush.

American forces continue to enforce a naval blockade prohibiting commercial vessels from entering or exiting Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz, coordinating traffic lanes, clearing mines, and shooting down Iranian projectiles.

While vessel traffic through the strait has steadily increased, one US official told NBC that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continues attempts to attack ships nearly every day.