Nearly 100 American soldiers have been injured in the last two weeks in the war with Iran, the Pentagon acknowledges.

The Pentagon has confirmed that nearly 100 American soldiers have been injured in the last two weeks following the escalation of the conflict with Iran, after the failure of negotiations to end hostilities.

Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, announced on social media that "almost 100 soldiers have suffered injuries of varying degrees since July 7," with 96% of them subsequently returning to duty.

Updated data shows that 18 soldiers have died and 447 have been injured since the start of the conflict on February 28. The new casualty count also includes the victims of an attack that occurred Friday night at the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan, resulting in the deaths of three American soldiers – one of whom has not yet been identified – and the injury of others, notes the Washington Post.

Iran has intensified attacks on American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and American forces have responded with retaliatory strikes to weaken Iranian military capabilities, however, there have been several criticisms regarding American defense systems.