Howard Lutnick Apologizes After Saying No Americans Died in Iran War

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick apologized on Thursday after falsely asserting on CNBC that “there haven’t been American deaths” in the war with Iran, a claim President Donald Trump tried to preemptively downplay on Truth Social.

““there haven’t been American deaths.””

CNN

The correction came after the conflict had already killed 18 U.S. service members since the U.S. first attacked Iran in February, with CNN and Reuters both tying the apology to Lutnick’s statement that he had “misspoke” and confused the Iran war with a Venezuela operation.

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In a Thursday morning post on X, Lutnick wrote that “I was thinking about the Venezuelan military operation where no service members died,” and he added condolences to the families of the killed servicemembers.

Reuters reported that Lutnick acknowledged he was thinking about Venezuela when he made the mistaken statement, and CNN said the remarks were made Wednesday morning as part of a broader interview on technology and trade issues.

The dispute unfolded as Iran’s army claimed Thursday morning it conducted overnight strikes on U.S. military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, according to Reuters’ account of the escalation.

Trump defended Lutnick early Thursday on Truth Social, writing that “Sec. Lutnick had Venezuela on his mind when nobody was killed. 18 people were killed in Iran!” before Lutnick issued his public apology.

CNN reported that Lutnick’s apology came roughly 45 minutes later, after he posted on X that “I misspoke” and said he was thinking about Venezuela when he answered a question about military actions in Iran.

CNN

CNN also said the administration has faced scrutiny over how it disclosed and discussed those killed and injured in the Iran war, including after four deaths and dozens of injuries disappeared from totals listed on a Defense Department website in July.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was quoted by CNN saying, “When a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front-page news,” as the administration’s handling of casualty information drew attention.

Reuters similarly described Lutnick’s apology as acknowledging that 18 service members had been killed and that he was thinking about Venezuela when he made the mistaken statement.

Beyond the public dispute over the death toll, the sources described the human impact of the Iran war through the case of U.S. Air Force Major John "Alex" Klinner, who died in a crash in Iraq in March while his KC-135 refueling aircraft was in “friendly” airspace supporting operations against Iran.

““we haven't officially declared war, my kids and I aren't eligible for some benefits””

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Klinner’s widow, Libby Klinner, posted on Instagram that the Air Force told her that because “we haven't officially declared war, my kids and I aren't eligible for some benefits,” and she wrote that “now the benefits we're left with are being dictated by semantics and public perception,” according to Military.com’s reporting as summarized by the source.

The same source said the war had “more than 750 Americans have been wounded,” and it listed that 18 service members have died and 757 have been wounded in the war, while also describing benefits such as an immediate, tax-free $100,000 Death Gratuity.

Reuters reported that Iranian officials said four people died and nearly 70 were wounded by a strike that hit a home during a wedding, and it said Iran reported 18 dead in the last U.S. assault, including the four killed at the wedding.

In parallel, Reuters reported that Iran responded to U.S. strikes with attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, and that Kuwait’s military said its air defences intercepted missiles and drones.