WASHINGTON -- Eight U.S. Marines were injured when an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile struck their vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on September 14, NBC News reported, as the Washington Post revealed that Iran’s missile and drone campaign has shattered the foundational assumption of U.S. military strategy since World War II.
The Marines — seven enlisted personnel and one officer assigned to a battalion landing team — suffered smoke inhalation and possible traumatic brain injuries, including concussion-like symptoms such as headaches, after the missile struck their maritime vessel. 
Their names were not entered into the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System until nearly ten days later, according to NBC News. CENTCOM declined to comment on the attack.
The wounded Marines were among 37 service members — 29 Navy sailors and eight Marines — the Pentagon added to its official tally without explanation, bringing the total number of U.S. personnel wounded since the war began on February 28 to 861, according to Pentagon data. 
The Washington Post has previously reported that actual U.S. military deaths in the region exceed the
 Pentagon’s public figures, with insiders citing at least 22 fatalities compared to the 18 officially listed.
The strategic cost of the war is becoming clearer.
A Washington Post analysis published Sunday warned that Iran successfully struck hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases across Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan, damaging or destroying dozens of American aircraft. 
The U.S. Navy’s support facility in Bahrain, home to the Fifth Fleet, was knocked out of operation on the first day of the war, forcing U.S. forces to rely on Diego Garcia, some 2,200 miles away.
Satellite imagery analysis identified at least 228 damaged U.S. military structures across 15 bases, including hangars, barracks, fuel depots, and radar systems. 
One of the most striking examples cited in the report: during a recent Iranian attack on a U.S. air base in Jordan, American forces fired approximately 60 to 70 Patriot missiles and more than a dozen THAAD interceptors — an expenditure that laid bare the unsustainable economics of defending against cheap drones and missiles with million-dollar interceptors. 
The Pentagon’s inspector general released its first formal accounting of the war’s losses earlier this month, confirming that “Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases” in eight countries.
The analysis warned that if Iran could inflict such damage on U.S. regional bases, key U.S. installations in Guam and Japan would be far more vulnerable in any conflict with China’s vastly larger missile arsenal. 
A deployed service member told CBS News: “We’re not defending these bases. We’re just watching them get destroyed.”
Energy prices are punishing American and European consumers.
According to AAA data cited by the New York Times, average U.S. diesel prices climbed to a record $5.90 per gallon in early September, up from $3.71 a year earlier. 
Regular gasoline stood at $4.15 a gallon on Labor Day, compared to $3.20 a year ago. More recent data from AAA shows gasoline reaching nearly $4.50 nationally by Friday, with diesel topping $6.50. In California, some stations have posted prices above $6 per gallon for regular unleaded.
Europe is faring worse. EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen warned in a letter to member states on September 25 that the bloc faces “a price crisis linking to a supply crisis.” 
European gas storage stands at just 70 percent capacity, well below the seasonal norm of 86 percent, and Dutch TTF benchmark prices have exceeded €70 per megawatt-hour — levels not seen since the 2022 energy crisis. 
The EU’s average diesel price hit a record €2.23 per liter. European households are bracing for winter heating bills that could rise by 40 percent or more compared to last year.
Trump’s political standing is collapsing.
A New York Times/Siena poll conducted September 8-13 shows Trump’s approval rating at 38 percent, with 52 percent of respondents strongly disapproving of his performance — the first time a majority has strongly disapproved. 
Among likely voters, 51 percent said they would vote for a Democratic candidate in their district, compared to 43 percent for a Republican. On the cost of living, 71 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling, while only 28 percent approve.
A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump’s approval at 32 percent, the lowest of his political career and below Joe Biden’s lowest-ever rating of 35 percent. 
Among Republicans, approval fell from 82 percent to 73 percent in a single week, with 51 percent of Republicans now disapproving of his handling of the cost of living. 
Only 34 percent of Americans support the strikes on Iran, while 82 percent believe the conflict will drag on for a long time. The survey of 1,277 U.S. adults, conducted September 17-20, carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points.