Eight U.S. Marines were injured when an Iranian cruise missile hit a vessel they were on in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month, as reported by NBC News.
The attack on September 14 injured seven enlisted Marines and one officer, according to three U.S. officials. The injuries included smoke inhalation and possible traumatic brain injuries, with the Marines experiencing concussion symptoms like headaches. Fortunately, none of the injuries were severe, and all eight Marines returned to duty shortly after the incident.
The Marines were part of a battalion landing team, which is a Marine infantry unit trained for amphibious and maritime operations. Officials clarified that the vessel struck by the missile was not a U.S. Navy ship but referred to it only as a “maritime vessel.”
The Pentagon did not publicly announce the attack at that time.
The eight Marines were added to the Pentagon’s casualty database around ten days later. As of Wednesday, this database listed 861 U.S. service members injured since the start of the conflict with Iran. This number also included 29 Navy sailors who had their injuries recorded this week.
U.S. Central Command did not provide any comments on the September 14 incident, according to NBC.
This information comes as the Strait of Hormuz continues to be one of the most dangerous areas for both commercial and military shipping in the region.
The latest advisory from the Joint Maritime Information Center, released on September 27, continues to label the threat in the strait as SEVERE, stating that hostile actions remain “highly likely” under the current circumstances.
Iranian state media claimed on Sunday that its forces targeted or intercepted 19 ships over the past two nights after these vessels tried to use routes that Tehran considers unauthorized. The Fars News Agency reported that 12 vessels were targeted on Friday and another seven on Saturday, though it did not specify the ships, their flags, cargoes, or destinations. These claims have not been independently verified.
Importantly, the JMIC mentioned no confirmed attacks or disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz during the most recent 72-hour reporting period, but it noted continued Iranian harassment, UAV activities, and targeted surveillance of merchant vessels.
CENTCOM rejected a claim made by a senior commander from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that Iran had full control over the strait. The command pointed out that thousands of vessels and over 1 billion barrels of oil have passed through the waterway recently, indicating that Tehran does not control passage. CENTCOM also stated that U.S. forces have assisted in the transit of more than 2,000 commercial vessels during the ongoing conflict.
The recent missile strike on September 14 further highlights the ongoing threats faced by vessels operating in the strait, even as U.S.-facilitated traffic continues to increase.