Fact Check: Were US soldiers taken prisoner after Ali Khamenei’s death, as claimed by Iran?

TEHRAN, IRAN: As the conflict in the Middle East escalated following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint operation conducted by the United States and Israel, a senior official of the Islamic Republic claimed that US soldiers had been taken prisoner, sparking concern. Let us fact-check the viral claim.

Claim: Iran has taken American soldiers as prisoners

The claim surfaced after Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, posted on X, stating, “A number of American soldiers have been taken prisoner."

"However, they are promoting a misleading narrative claiming that five or six American soldiers have been killed. Then, soon enough, with the passage of time, they gradually increase the number of the dead, under various pretexts, such as incidental accidents or fabricated incidents.”

The claim was later amplified by various social media accounts, asserting the rumor to be authentic.  

Fact Check: US Central Command rejected the claim

However, the claim has been rejected by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in a one-line response calling the allegations “lies and deceptions.”

A CENTCOM spokesman told Al Jazeera Arabic, “The Iranian regime’s claims of capturing American soldiers are yet another example of its lies and deceptions.”

According to official US figures cited by defense authorities, six American service members have been confirmed killed so far in the conflict, but there are no reports of soldiers being taken prisoner by Iran.

So far, any military operations in Iran have been conducted from the air, and Trump has publicly said he is not currently planning to send ground troops, calling such a move unnecessary at this stage. Hence, it is unlikely for US troops to be detained by Iran.

Larijani earlier made a sweeping claim that 500 US soldiers were killed during the war, which was denied and debunked by American authorities.

Trump shows interest in troop deployment in Iran

Trump has privately shown interest in the possibility of putting American troops on the ground in Iran, though he has not committed to any action or issued orders.

The discussions, which took place with his aides and Republican allies outside the White House, focused on using a small number of soldiers for specific strategic roles rather than launching a full-scale invasion.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the reports, saying they were based on unnamed sources not directly involved in the president’s national security discussions.

She added that Trump “wisely keeps all options open,” but critics of the reporting lack a true “seat at the table.”