The number of U.S. troops wounded in the Iran war has now passed 200, opening a harsher view of the conflict’s human toll. American personnel have been injured in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, according to U.S. Central Command.

The spread of those casualties shows how far Iran’s retaliation has reached beyond any single front line.

From 140 to more than 200 in less than a week

The rise has been steep. Reuters reported that as many as 150 U.S. troops had been wounded in the first 10 days of the war.

Around the same time, The Associated Press cited the Pentagon’s first official accounting of about 140 wounded, including eight severe cases. By mid-March, the total had moved past 200, showing that the battlefield toll did not level off after the opening barrage.

Many returned to duty but the danger did not pass

Military officials say more than 180 of the wounded have already returned to duty. Even so, 10 service members are now categorized as seriously wounded, a higher figure than the Pentagon gave, TIME reports. That split between quick returns and serious cases captures the uneven nature of the injuries. Some troops were able to rejoin their units. Others remain caught in longer recoveries.

Brain injuries add to fears about the real toll

Not every wound showed up at once. The Washington Post reported that some cases surfaced only days later, chiefly because symptoms tied to traumatic brain injuries became apparent after the initial attacks.

That detail matters. It suggests the final number may have been obscured in real time, even as commanders tried to measure the fallout from missile and one-way drone strikes.

A widening war leaves U.S. forces exposed

The mounting injury count shows that U.S. troops stationed across the Middle East have become exposed targets in a war that keeps widening. Early casualty reports hinted at the danger.

The latest accounting makes it harder to look away. Across seven countries, American service members have carried the burden of a conflict that is not easy to measure.