Tehran escalates rhetoric as regional tensions deepen and military operations intensify.
TEHRAN: Iran’s military spokesperson on Thursday claimed that hundreds of U.S. and Israeli troops have been killed since the start of the ongoing conflict, vowing that American forces will not be allowed to leave the region until Tehran’s demands are met.
According to the spokesperson, at least 800 U.S. troops have been killed and more than 5,000 wounded, while Israeli military losses stand at 1,321. The claims could not be independently verified.
The spokesperson further alleged that Iranian forces had destroyed 17 U.S. military bases and described the reported movement of American troops into hotels as a “humiliating retreat,” signaling what he called a failure in U.S. military strategy.
“We will not allow the United States to withdraw until our four key demands are fulfilled,” he said, without detailing those conditions.
In a separate warning, Iran urged Gulf states to expel U.S. forces from their territories, cautioning that failure to do so could result in further attacks on American bases across the region.
The remarks come amid intensifying hostilities following a large-scale joint operation launched by United States and Israel on Feb. 28, 2026. U.S. Central Command has reported more than 9,000 strikes targeting sites across Iran since the operation began.
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