By Cecilia Odey
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday claimed significant American casualties during the first two days of what it described as retaliatory strikes, figures sharply disputed by U.S. officials.
An IRGC spokesperson said up to 650 U.S. service members were killed or wounded in operations targeting American military assets across the region.
According to the spokesperson, IRGC missiles and drones repeatedly struck the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, resulting in 160 casualties at U.S. military bases there.
The U.S. has rejected the claims.
The U.S. military said that as of evening Monday (2100 GMT), six American service members had been killed in military operations involving Iran.
U.S. media reported 18 additional troops were seriously wounded. U.S. officials further stated there had been no fatalities at American bases in Bahrain.
The IRGC also asserted that a U.S. combat support vessel sustained heavy damage and claimed that four cruise missiles were launched at the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
This forced it to move southeast toward the Indian Ocean.
Earlier, U.S. Central Command formally denied Iranian claims that the carrier had been hit, calling the assertions “disinformation” and stating that the missiles “didn’t even come close.”
The competing claims could not be independently verified. (Xinhua/NAN)
