Trump Says Fallen Troops Backed Iran War Goal

President Donald Trump attended a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday to honour U.S. service members killed in the war with Iran.

Before departing Washington aboard Air Force One, Trump described the ceremony as "one of the hardest things to do as a president" and paid tribute to the fallen troops, calling them "great heroes."

Claims about soldiers' views

Speaking to reporters, Trump defended the U.S. military campaign against Iran, claiming the service members who had died supported his central war objective.

"All of them said very strongly, 'We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,'" Trump said.

It was not the first time Trump has attributed similar sentiments to fallen troops and their families. During a primetime address on 1 April, he said relatives of service members killed in the conflict had urged him to "finish the job," saying every family had asked him to complete the mission for which their loved ones had died.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump also posted on social media comparing the number of U.S. military deaths in the Iran conflict with casualties in previous American wars, in comments that appeared to minimise the current toll.

Asked what message he would give grieving families, Trump said he wanted them to know they were loved.

"All I'm going to say is, we love you. We love your child," he said, adding that parents had lost "their child" and that "all you can do is throw out your heart."

Fallen service members

Later on Wednesday, during an event in Marietta, Georgia, Trump introduced the family of 1st Lt. Tyler J. Feehan, one of the soldiers killed in Iranian attacks, saying he had flown with them from Dover aboard Air Force One.

The ceremony marked the third dignified transfer Trump has attended since the conflict with Iran began.

The Pentagon overnight identified a third soldier killed in Friday's Iranian strike on a U.S. base in Jordan as Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York.

The other two soldiers killed in the attack were Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lt. Tyler J. Feehan of Ewa Beach, Hawaii.

A fourth service member, Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died on Sunday after the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, according to the U.S. Army.

Conflict continues

The Department of Defense says at least 18 U.S. service members have been killed and around 500 wounded since the war with Iran began in late February.

The fighting has intensified after a ceasefire reached in mid-June collapsed, with the latest attacks marking an 11th consecutive night of strikes.

Trump was greeted on arrival at Dover by Col. Jamil Musa, commander of the 436th Airlift Wing, and Chief Master Sgt. Elijah Edwards. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine also attended the transfer ceremony.

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23 July 2026