In a mᴀssive development that has sent shockwaves through the international community, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a “surprise” announcement on Sunday, March 8, 2026, claiming that Iranian forces have successfully taken multiple American soldiers as prisoners. In a defiant statement posted on social media and broadcast via state media (IRIB), Larijani alleged that these troops were captured during the ongoing chaos of Operation Epic Fury and accused the Trump administration of intentionally misreporting their status as “Killed in Action” (KIA) to hide the captures from the American public. “The truth is not something they can hide for too long,” Larijani warned, suggesting that the actual number of U.S. losses is far higher than officially admitted.

The response from Washington has been swift and categorical. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has flatly rejected the Iranian claims, labeling them as a “desperate propaganda stunt” designed to distract from the systematic destruction of Iran’s military infrastructure. A CENTCOM spokesperson told Al Jazeera that no American service members have been captured or remain unaccounted for, calling the Iranian statement “yet another example of the regime’s lies and deceptions.

” While the U.S. has confirmed that six American service members were killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait on March 1, the Pentagon maintains that there are zero missing or captured personnel. As families of existing American detainees in Evin Prison voice “terrifying” fears for their loved ones’ safety amid the bombardment,
this new claim of fresh POWs has added a volatile new dimension to the high-stakes psychological warfare playing out across the Gulf.