Washington, July 22 (SANA) U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the cost of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has been relatively low “in terms of time and American lives” compared with previous U.S. military conflicts.
According to CNN, Trump said about 18 U.S. service members had been killed during the four-month conflict with Iran, compared with about 2,000 in the 20-year war in Afghanistan, 4,600 in the nine-year Iraq War, 58,220 during the Vietnam War and 36,574 in the Korean War.
Trump did not cite sources for the figures, although CNN reported they broadly align with Pentagon casualty data, with the exception of his reference to a one-day “Venezuela war,” which is not classified as a war in the Pentagon’s casualty records.
Trump’s remarks came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee, seeking additional funding for military operations against Iran.
Last month, U.S. media reported that the Pentagon had requested an additional $80 billion in funding to cover military expenses related to the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which began on Feb. 28.
F.J.
