The American daily The Washington Post (WP) has issued an official position in which it categorically defended the credibility of its journalistic investigation. In it, the media outlet claims that the White House and the Pentagon deliberately underestimate the real data on the human and material losses of the US in the military conflict with Iran. The editorial office rejected the accusations of the Ministry of Defense that it publishes disinformation and fake news.
The journalists from the publication emphasize that they have dozens of verified internal sources in the army, as well as access to classified medical and logistical reports that clearly refute the official statistics provided to the American public.
Information blackout in Washington?
According to the WP investigation, the administration in Washington is using administrative tricks – such as not reporting the wounded who later died in hospitals outside the conflict zone, in order to avoid public pressure and anti-war protests before key political events.
“We stand behind every word in our reporting. Our mission is to tell the truth, even when it is inconvenient for the government“, the editorial team's official statement said.
According to the publication of The Washington Post, six US officials familiar with internal Defense Department data, said that the number of US service members killed in the Middle East was at least 22, or four more than the Pentagon's publicly stated figure of 18. The publication also cited a document according to which US Central Command estimated the cost of the war at about $43.6 billion by early September.
The dispute is about the official data
The article also claims that some of the losses and damage are not reflected in the public database of Defense Department casualties. The newspaper presents this as a discrepancy between internal reporting and publicly disclosed information. It does not claim that the discrepancy is the result of proven concealment, but that employees have expressed dissatisfaction with the way the data was reflected.
The criticism of the publication also comes against the backdrop of separate estimates of the military impact of the conflict. The US Congressional Budget Office reported that the war against Iran had cost the Department of Defense more than $38 billion by August 1 and could continue to add about $3 billion per month. Another Pentagon inspection report, cited by the Washington Post, describes a shortage of strategic ammunition and damage to American aircraft, bases and diplomatic facilities in the Middle East.
The Washington Post emphasizes that the topic is important not only because of the cost of the conflict, but also because of the consequences for the combat readiness of the US military. In a separate analysis, the newspaper writes that by almost every indicator the US is losing the war with Iran, but this is an editorial assessment, not an official position of the administration.
The publication comes after other materials in which the publication reports on concerns among military leaders that prolonged operations against Iran could weaken the US ability to respond to other threats. According to the Washington Post, some of these concerns were also expressed in confidential assessments, which led the Pentagon to restrict access to certain classified materials.
Sources: Washington Post, Associated Press, Congressional Budget Office