Eight US Marines injured in Iranian missile strike on vessel in Strait of Hormuz

Eight U.S. Marines were injured when an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile struck a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on September 14, according to U.S. officials. NBC News first reported the incident, citing three American officials.

The vessel that was hit was not a commissioned U.S. Navy warship. Officials have not disclosed its class or flag. The injured were seven enlisted Marines and one officer, all serving with a battalion landing team. None were critically wounded. Their injuries included smoke inhalation and concussion-like symptoms such as persistent headaches, with possible traumatic brain injuries. All eight returned to operational duty shortly after the attack.

The injuries were not entered into the Pentagon's official casualty database until nearly 10 days after the strike. A U.S. defence official blamed the delay on "latent symptoms that often manifest days later" and said the casualty tracking system lacks "real-time reporting capabilities." The same kind of delay has occurred before: after Iran's January 2020 ballistic missile attack on Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, the number of U.S. troops later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries rose steadily in the weeks that followed.

The Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System has now recorded 861 U.S. service members injured across the wider conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow passage between Iran and Oman that connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes through it. It is also the only sea route for Qatar's liquefied natural gas exports from Ras Laffan, so Doha and the other Gulf capitals depend on the strait staying open. Qatar has repeatedly called for de-escalation and dialogue between Washington and Tehran and has backed diplomatic efforts to keep the conflict from spreading further through the region's shipping lanes.