President Donald Trump has asserted that his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, mistakenly claimed that no Americans had died in the ongoing war with Iran. Trump suggested that Lutnick was actually thinking about a previous U.S. operation in Venezuela when he made the statement during an appearance on CNBC.
Context
The assertion contradicts the Pentagon's report, which states that 18 U.S. service members have died in the conflict. This misstatement has drawn significant backlash as Trump attempts to navigate the complexities of the war, which has been ongoing for six months.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump wrote:
“"Sec. Lutnick had Venezuela on his mind when he said nobody was killed. 18 people were killed in Iran!"
The controversy arose after Lutnick discussed the Trump administration's strategy towards Iran on CNBC’s Squawk Box, describing it as an "economic choke-out". He incorrectly stated that there had been no American fatalities in the conflict and expressed optimism about the bond markets' response to this approach.
Developments
This morning, Lutnick acknowledged his error, stating on X that he had misspoken and was indeed thinking of the U.S. operation in Venezuela, where U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January with minimal casualties. The Pentagon reported that seven U.S. troops were injured in that operation, with no fatalities, while Venezuelan officials claimed a total death toll of 47, and Cuba reported 32 military and police personnel killed.
As the situation escalates, Iranian authorities have reported significant casualties from recent U.S. strikes. According to Iran's health ministry, strikes on Tuesday night resulted in 18 deaths and 108 injuries. The Red Crescent reported that four people were killed and 67 wounded when a U.S. strike hit a wedding ceremony near the Strait of Hormuz, which also resulted in the death of a child. Reuters confirmed the location of the damaged building using satellite imagery.
