United States Central Command has rejected an Iranian claim that American soldiers were captured during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, said on social media that several American troops had been taken prisoner, a statement the American military described as false.

A spokesman for United States Central Command said the Iranian government was spreading misinformation and called the claim another example of deliberate deception. The command also denied Tehran’s assertion that its retaliatory strikes targeted only military sites, accusing Iran of launching missiles and drones toward civilian locations such as airports, hotels and residential neighborhoods.

In recent days, United States Central Command has dismissed additional Iranian statements that American forces were withdrawing from the region, had lost aircraft and a naval destroyer, and had suffered heavy casualties among marines. The command said those allegations were untrue and added that operations are expanding, with American forces striking deeper into Iranian airspace and sinking more than 20 Iranian vessels.

According to the command, Iranian attacks have significantly decreased since the start of the operation. It reported sharp declines in both drone and ballistic missile launches, indicating reduced offensive activity by Tehran.