U.S. acknowledges 18 Iranian deaths in recent attacks, Trump explains

President Donald Trump used his personal social‑media account on Thursday to confirm that 18 Iranians were killed in the most recent American air raids on Iran. The statement was made to correct an earlier comment by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who had said that no American personnel had been killed in the operation.

Trump wrote that Lutnick seemed to be thinking about Venezuela when he said there were no U.S. casualties, and then added the precise number of Iranian deaths. "18 people were killed in Iran," the president posted.

Lutnick later issued a clarification on X, admitting that his mind had wandered during a G20 AI summit interview and that his earlier remark was not intended to refer to the present conflict.

The clarification arrives as the United States and Iran continue a cycle of strikes. Recent American attacks have targeted Iranian military sites, missile‑defence installations and surveillance radars. Iran’s health ministry reported 18 civilian deaths and 108 injuries, while the Iranian Red Crescent described a wedding‑party strike near the Hormuz Strait that left four dead and 67 injured.

Iran responded with a series of missile and drone launches aimed at U.S. assets in the Gulf, intensifying regional tensions and prompting international calls for restraint.