New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- More US service members may have died in the Middle East during the ongoing Iran war than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, according to a Washington Post report citing six US officials familiar with the Defense Department's internal casualty accounting data.

The discrepancy centres on the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), the public database used to report US military deaths and injuries.

As of September 18, the Pentagon's public database listed 18 US military fatalities dating to the beginning of the Iran conflict.

However, five of the six officials cited by The Washington Post said at least 22 service members have died. A sixth official put the figure at 23.

The higher figure does not nec...