An Iranian military spokesman has claimed that retaliatory strikes by the country’s armed forces over the past 24 hours have killed or wounded about 220 American soldiers and commanders while causing significant damage to United States military assets in the region.
Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Saturday that 21 American service members were killed and several others injured during Iranian attacks targeting the United States Navy Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
He added that about 200 American personnel were also killed or wounded in strikes on Al Dhafra Air Base in United Arab Emirates. According to him, Iranian forces also targeted a United States owned oil tanker in the northern part of the Persian Gulf.
Separately, the United States confirmed that Iran destroyed a radar system valued at about $300 million used for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defence system at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
The latest escalation follows renewed military strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28. Iranian authorities said the attacks targeted the country and its nuclear facilities.
Iranian officials reported that the strikes resulted in the death of Ali Khamenei and hundreds of civilians, including women and children, as well as several military commanders.
In response, Iran launched a series of missile and drone attacks on Israeli controlled territories and on US military bases across the region.
Officials in Iran said the operations were directed only at US and Israeli military assets and interests, stressing that the country holds no hostility toward the host nations where the bases are located and respects their sovereignty.
