Lutnick Apologizes After Saying No Americans Had Died in Iran War

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has apologized for saying no Americans had died in the Iran war, acknowledging that 18 US service members have been killed and saying he was thinking about Venezuela when he made the erroneous statement, Reuters reported.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick apologized after mistakenly saying no American service members had died in the Iran war. [Photo: BGC Group]

"I misspoke. Eighteen members of our military have died and to those families my heart breaks and I am so very sorry for their loss. I was thinking of the Venezuela military operation where no service members died," Lutnick said in a post on X.

Lutnick made the original comments during a CNBC interview recently, in which Venezuela was not discussed.

"I think the way the president is playing Iran ... There haven't been American deaths. It's really just an economic choke-out, which the administration is now executing more broadly, and I think it'll be very effective," Lutnick told CNBC.

Moments before Lutnick's apology, President Donald Trump defended the commerce secretary on Truth Social.

"Sec. Lutnick had Venezuela on his mind when he said nobody was killed. 18 people were killed in Iran!" Trump wrote. The US has reported 18 military personnel killed and more than 750 wounded since the conflict began, according to Reuters.