Iran’s top security official has claimed that several American soldiers have been taken prisoner during the ongoing conflict, a statement swiftly rejected by U.S. authorities.

Ali Larijani said he had received reports indicating that American troops were captured in combat. He accused Washington of attempting to conceal the incident.

“It has been reported to me that several American soldiers have been taken prisoner. But the Americans claim that they have been killed in action,” Larijani wrote in a message on social media platform X.

He added that U.S. officials would not be able to hide the truth indefinitely.

“Despite their futile efforts, the truth is not something they can hide for too long,” he said.

Larijani suggested that Washington might be framing the soldiers as killed in action to obscure the possibility of captured personnel.

“They promote a misleading narrative claiming that five or six American soldiers have been killed,” he said, warning that additional explanations could later be used to adjust the reported death toll.

The United States denied the allegations. A spokesperson for US Central Command told media outlets that reports of captured American soldiers were false.

The exchange comes as tensions escalate following joint U.S.–Israeli airstrikes against Iran on February 28, which triggered retaliatory military actions across the region.

In broader remarks about the war, Larijani argued that the United States had not achieved its strategic objectives.

He claimed Washington had believed the conflict could be concluded quickly.

“The Americans wanted to end the war in a short period of time,” he said, adding that Iran had prevented such an outcome.

According to Larijani, U.S. and Israeli planners had hoped the campaign would generate internal instability in Iran and weaken national unity.

He also asserted that efforts to target Iranian leadership in order to force political collapse had failed.

“Their goals have not been realized,” he said, pointing to what he described as public solidarity during the crisis.

Larijani warned that the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, would have serious consequences and vowed that Tehran would continue responding to perceived aggression.

The allegations and counterclaims come amid intensifying hostilities between Iran and the United States following coordinated strikes that expanded the conflict.

Retaliatory attacks by Iranian forces against U.S. military assets in the Middle East have further heightened regional instability.

Washington maintains that its operations target military capabilities and infrastructure, while Iranian officials describe them as unlawful aggression.

Diplomatic observers warn that continued escalation risks widening the conflict unless negotiations or de-escalation efforts resume.

Larijani also sought to reassure the domestic population, stating that Iran had maintained adequate supplies of fuel and essential goods despite wartime pressures and government efforts to stabilize conditions.

The United States has not commented on specific claims regarding prisoner reports beyond rejecting allegations of captured personnel. (ILKHA)