Veterans & National Security · Report · File No. 261111-732
On Veterans Day, veterans call Trump's Iran war a 'disaster' as toll hits 23 dead
Veterans criticized the president's Iran war as the Pentagon counted 23 U.S. service members dead and 865 wounded. Several say Congress never authorized it.
Every quote in this story (2) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
Some American veterans used Veterans Day to sharply criticize President Donald Trump's handling of the Iran war. The Pentagon's latest figures show 23 U.S. service members dead and 865 wounded in operations tied to the conflict 12.
Not all of the deaths came from enemy fire. Eleven were killed by enemy fire and 12 were classed as nonhostile, according to Newsweek's reading of the Pentagon's casualty database 2.
What veterans are saying
Adam Dunigan served in the Marine Corps from 2008 to 2013, including in Afghanistan, and later worked as a CIA operations officer. He ran in a Democratic congressional primary in Virginia this year. He told Newsweek that Trump's military-themed branding distracts from what he called "the disaster he made in Iran" 1.
Nick Paro, a disabled Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, said the war has hurt Americans at home through higher prices and shortages of needed supplies. He also said Congress has not approved it 1.
From Channel GOP60 Minutes presses Trump on missing health planDonald Trump · 30K plays · captioned, with the source named
This war, which Congress has yet to authorize, is a disaster and the leadership must be held accountable for those failures.
Todd Connor, co-founder of Veterans for All Voters, focused on the question of authorization. He said a mission is stronger when Congress has clearly approved it. He also warned that failing to explain why the country is going to war risks "moral injury" among troops 1.
The toll and the polls
The Pentagon splits its count into two periods. Operation Epic Fury began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. It accounts for 15 deaths and 417 wounded 12.
A later phase, covering fighting renewed since July 7, accounts for eight deaths and 448 wounded. That means more than half of the wounded were hurt after the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran 12.
Public opinion is turning against the war. The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan polling group, found approval of Trump's handling of the military action fell from 37 percent after the conflict began in February to 33 percent by early October 1.
In Pew's October survey, 65 percent disapproved and only 34 percent said the original decision to use force was right. A YouGov poll found 43 percent opposed the war and 31 percent supported it. It also found 55 percent said the operations should have had congressional approval 1.
The administration's side
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which provides lifelong care to eligible veterans, points to gains. It says more than 300,000 new veterans enrolled in VA health care in 2026 and that the disability claims backlog has fallen by more than two-thirds since Trump took office 1.
In September, VA Secretary Doug Collins announced a record $1.17 billion in grants to 680 groups serving homeless veterans or those at risk of homelessness 1.
Trump also drew criticism over last year's Veterans Day. At Arlington National Cemetery he said "From now on, we're going to say Victory Day for World War I." The holiday has not been formally renamed 1.
That matters because the veterans' complaint is about more than symbolism. They say the country is at war without a vote from Congress, which holds the power to authorize it. Dunigan, a Democrat, also tied the war to the 2028 election, and the Pentagon's own numbers show the cost is still rising 12.
What happens next is unclear. The wire reports do not say whether Congress plans a vote on the war. Today's official commemoration is at Arlington National Cemetery 1.
The Record
Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter
Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.
Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.
Sources
- Newsweek, “Trump's Iran War Draws 'Disaster' Warning From American Veterans” (2026-11-11). newsweek.com/veterans-day-iran-war-trump-administration-holi
- Newsweek, “Iran war US military death toll rises to 23 as airman's death investigated” (2026-11-11). newsweek.com/iran-war-us-military-death-toll-rises-to-23-as-
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
More from the files
ProPublica: Staff losses leave East Orange VA hospital in crisis, veterans' care at risk
ProPublica reports that staff losses under Trump have left a New Jersey veterans hospital without key specialists. A VA watchdog report points to shortages across the system.
On Veterans Day, VA claims are faster but staffing gaps and errors persist
Two years into Trump's second term, the VA decides disability claims in about half the time. Its staff is smaller, and reviewers are sending back more decisions for errors.
Kennedy and Collins announce $4.9 million to prepare first U.S. ibogaine PTSD studies
The Trump administration is funding groundwork for U.S. research on ibogaine, an illegal psychedelic that some veterans back for PTSD. The money does not pay for patient studies yet, and the drug carries serious heart risks.
Delivered free to your door*
The Morning Edition
One short email at 7 a.m. Eastern: the day's top files, one clip worth your time, and the race to watch. Plain English, large type, no clutter.
*Your inbox. Free. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.