Trump attends return of troops killed in Jordan, Iraq; warns Iran will ‘pay the price’

Administration Trump attends return of troops killed in Jordan, Iraq; warns Iran will ‘pay the price’ Comments: by Julia Manchester - 07/22/26 12:49 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Julia Manchester - 07/22/26 12:49 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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President Trump attended the dignified transfer of four U.S. servicemembers killed in the U.S. war with Iran in Delaware on Wednesday, warning Tehran would “pay the price” for the casualties.

The bodies of 1st Lt. Tyler J. Feehan, Sgt. Michael E. Swinton, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales were received by Trump and their families at Dover Air Force Base.

Other administration officials present included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. According to the White House press pool traveling with the president, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) were also in attendance.

Gonzalez and Feehan were both killed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday. Rampersad is also believed to have been killed in action during the strike.

Swinton was killed on Sunday during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq.

Trump warned that Iran would pay “a big price” following the deaths of the American soldiers.

“They’re going to pay a big price. They’re being decimated,” the president told reporters ahead of the dignified transfer, when asked about a report that Iran targeted U.S. soldiers’ barracks.

“Some of you are going with us to honor our heroes, and that are indeed great heroes actually,” the president continued. “All of them said very strongly, ‘We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.’”

Recent polling has suggested Americans are dissatisfied with the way the war is going amid skyrocketing energy prices and the climbing U.S. death toll. Without citing a specific survey, Trump said Americans are not against the war.

“A poll just came out, Americans don’t want high gasoline prices but they’re not against the war, that just came out loud and clear,” he said Wednesday.

Hegseth told lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday that the U.S. war in Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far.