Iranian security official claims US troops captured, Washington denies

Istanbul (ANTARA) – Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, claimed that several United States troops had been captured, while accusing Washington of attempting to hide the incident. ‘I have been informed that a number of American soldiers have been taken prisoner. However the Americans claim that they were killed in battle,’ he wrote on Sunday on the X social media platform. ‘Despite their futile efforts, the truth is not something they can hide for too long,’ he added. The United States military quickly rejected the claim, stating that no US troops had been captured. A spokesperson for United States Central Command (CENTCOM) told Al Jazeera that the Iranian claim was untrue. Regional tensions have escalated since the United States and Israel launched a massive strike against Iran on 28 February, which has so far reportedly killed more than 1,000 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, more than 150 schoolgirls, and several senior military officials. The war has triggered widespread regional instability and retaliatory attacks by Tehran against various locations linked to the United States across the region. Source: Anadolu