US officials deny Irans claim of capturing American service members

US and Iranian Leaders Disagree Over Captured US Soldiers

The head of Iran’s National Security Council, Ali Larijani, has claimed that the United States has captured several American soldiers since the outbreak of war last week. Larijani made this statement on a social media platform, suggesting that the US is concealing the captures.

In response, the US military issued a statement denying the claims. “The Iranian regime is doing everything it can to peddle lies and deceive,” said US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins. A spokesperson from US Central Command (CENTCOM) also echoed this denial.

According to reports, at least six members of the US armed forces have been killed in the conflict since its beginning on February 28. The administration of President Donald Trump has dubbed the military campaign “Operation Epic Fury”.

The Tasnim news agency reported that an estimated 1,332 people have been killed in the war since last week, including approximately 180 children who died in a strike on a school in the southeastern city of Minab.

Trump has blamed Iran for the attack, stating that it was carried out by Iranian forces. The US military has identified the dead soldiers as Declan Cody, Jeffrey O’Brien, Cody Khork, Noah Tietjens, Nicole Amor and Robert Marzan.

The President has also stated that the war is progressing well, calling its progress “as good as it could be”. However, he has not ruled out deploying US soldiers to Iran. Trump has estimated that the war could last four to five weeks, and warned that the US death toll could continue to rise.

Critics of the President’s military strategy have expressed frustration with his actions, pointing out that he campaigned on a promise not to “fight endless wars”.

Source: Al Jazeera