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Saturday, September 5, 2026 · UTC
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Trump Rebukes Commerce Secretary Lutnick for Claiming No Americans Died in Iran War

President Trump criticized Secretary Lutnick for erroneously stating zero US deaths in the Iran conflict, citing a confusion with Venezuela.

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As of 2026-09-05 07:13 UTC. Market figures are as the cited sources reported them at that time and may have moved since. This is news, not investment advice.
President Donald Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick erroneously claimed no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran because Lutnick was thinking about a previous US operation in Venezuela. [1] The Pentagon confirmed that 18 US service members have died in the US-Israel war on Iran, contradicting Lutnick's earlier statement. [2] US Vice President JD Vance stated on 2026-04-12 that the Trump administration has several options for dealing with Iran, including economic, diplomatic, military, and covert pressure. [3] Donald Trump is reportedly furious over leaks revealing that US military weapon stockpiles are depleted. [4] Iran's health ministry reported that Tuesday night's strikes killed 18 people and wounded 108, while the country's Red Crescent identified four people killed and 67 wounded when a US strike hit a wedding ceremony near the coast of the strait of Hormuz. [5] Lutnick acknowledged the mistake on X, claiming he had been thinking of the US operation in Venezuela where US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January with minimal US casualties. [6] JD Vance said on 2026-04-12 that the administration would keep its plans private to preserve US President Donald Trump's flexibility in deciding how to respond to Iran. [7] US Central Command said on 2026-04-12 that American forces targeted multiple sites inside Iran, while Tehran launched attacks on US-linked facilities across the Gulf. [8] None of the 50 officials subjected to the polygraph tests were caught lying. [9] The Pentagon has ordered polygraph tests for 50 top military officials following the leaks. [10]
What this stands on
  1. President Donald Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick erroneously claimed no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran because Lutnick was thinking about a previous US operation in Venezuela. · The Guardian
  2. The Pentagon confirmed that 18 US service members have died in the US-Israel war on Iran, contradicting Lutnick's earlier statement. · The Guardian
  3. US Vice President JD Vance stated on 2026-04-12 that the Trump administration has several options for dealing with Iran, including economic, diplomatic, military, and covert pressure. · The Times Of India
  4. Donald Trump is reportedly furious over leaks revealing that US military weapon stockpiles are depleted. · B.T.
  5. Iran's health ministry reported that Tuesday night's strikes killed 18 people and wounded 108, while the country's Red Crescent identified four people killed and 67 wounded when a US strike hit a wedding ceremony near the coast of the strait of Hormuz. · The Guardian
  6. Lutnick acknowledged the mistake on X, claiming he had been thinking of the US operation in Venezuela where US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January with minimal US casualties. · The Guardian
  7. JD Vance said on 2026-04-12 that the administration would keep its plans private to preserve US President Donald Trump's flexibility in deciding how to respond to Iran. · The Times Of India
  8. US Central Command said on 2026-04-12 that American forces targeted multiple sites inside Iran, while Tehran launched attacks on US-linked facilities across the Gulf. · The Times Of India
  9. None of the 50 officials subjected to the polygraph tests were caught lying. · B.T.
  10. The Pentagon has ordered polygraph tests for 50 top military officials following the leaks. · B.T.
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