Van Hollen accuses Trump of showing 'great disrespect' by downplaying US troop deaths

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Chris Van Hollen accused President Donald Trump of showing "great disrespect" to US troops by comparing deaths in the Iran conflict to the far higher casualty counts from previous wars.

The criticism came as Trump attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for four service members killed in Iranian attacks. The exchange underscored a growing political dispute over how the president has defended his handling of the war.

Chris Van Hollen says Trump minimized troop deaths

Speaking on CNN's ‘The Situation Room’ on Wednesday, July 22, Democrat Van Hollen argued that ending the conflict would be the best way to protect American troops.

"We should end this war. I mean, the best thing we can do for our troops, the best thing we can do for our country is to end this war," he said.

Host Wolf Blitzer noted that Trump had attended the dignified transfer on Wednesday after posting on social media a day earlier comparing the 18 US troop deaths in the Iran war with the much higher numbers of Americans killed in conflicts including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam.

Asked for his reaction, Van Hollen said, "Well, Wolf, I thought that downplaying the deaths of 18 American service members to kind of trivialize it by saying that Donald Trump had done a great job, compared to the number of American deaths in other wars, wars which he has said himself should never have been started."

He added that the comparison "was a great disservice and showed great disrespect to the men and women who have been killed in this Iran war."

Trump defends administration's Iran strategy

The criticism came as the administration continued to defend its approach to the conflict despite mounting casualties.

Before departing for Dover, Trump told reporters the trip was intended "to honor our heroes."

"They are indeed great heroes, actually," Trump said. "They said, and all of them said very strongly, we can't let, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. They won't have a nuclear weapon."

Calling the ceremony one of the most difficult responsibilities of the presidency, Trump added, "It's one of the hardest things to do, for me, it's one of the hardest things to do as a president, but has to be done."

Dignified transfer follows renewed Iranian attacks

Trump attended the transfer of four service members killed after hostilities intensified following the collapse of the ceasefire.

The fallen troops were identified as Angel S Rampersad, 28, of New York; Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina; Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii; and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas.

US Central Command previously confirmed that two service members were killed during Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan, one remained missing, and four others were medically evacuated before later being discharged from hospitals.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the deaths by saying the troops' "sacrifice only stiffens our resolve." CENTCOM later announced retaliatory airstrikes against Iran had been launched at Trump's direction.