US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicly apologized on Thursday after falsely claiming in a television interview that no American service members had died in the ongoing war with Iran. Pentagon figures show that more than a dozen US service members have actually died since the fighting began in February.
In an online statement, Lutnick explained that he misspoken and confused the Iran war with a shorter US military operation in Venezuela earlier in the administration’s term. He apologized directly to the families of the fallen service members and stated that his error was unintentional.
The remark drew swift criticism from lawmakers and military family advocates. The incident is expected to increase congressional scrutiny regarding how the administration tracks and reports US military casualties.