According to Reuters, on September 3 local time, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross apologized publicly for his previous statement that 'no Americans were killed in the war against Iran', and said that when he made this mistake, the only thing he was thinking about was Venezuela's actions.
On that day, Lutnick posted on the X platform: "I said something wrong. There were 18 military personnel who lost their lives. I feel deeply saddened for the families of those who died, and I apologize for their loss. At that time, what I thought about was the military operations in Venezuela; no military personnel lost their lives during that incident."
On September 2nd, local time, Rutnick was interviewed by the American Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC). When discussing Trump's policies regarding Iran, he said, "So far, no Americans have died. Essentially, this is an economic blockade. The current government is implementing this measure on a much larger scale, and I believe the effects will be significant."
Just before Rutnick apologized, Trump defended him on the “Real Social” platform.
Trump wrote: "When Lutnick said no one was killed, he was thinking about Venezuela. In the conflict in Iran, 18 people have already lost their lives!"
As of the current time, data released by the US military indicates that 18 US service members have been killed and over 750 people have been injured.
