Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, issued a warning to US President Donald Trump, saying Tehran would “avenge the blood of our leader and our people".

Larijani, who was considered one of the closest aides of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said, “We will relentlessly avenge the blood of our Leader and our people. Trump must pay and will pay".

He said the Iranian strikes against the United States and Israel are continuing in the region. “Our strikes against the American and Zionist bases are ongoing, and we have inflicted severe losses on them."

Invoking the US military’s involvement in Venezuela — which led to the capture of its President Nicolas Maduro — Larijani said, “America thought it could end the war in a short period, just as it did in Venezuela, but it failed".

On Saturday, Ali Larijani made explosive claims involving President Trump and American casualties in Iran. He alleged several American soldiers have been captured and are being held in prisons amid the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

However, the US had denied the allegations. “The Iranian regime’s claims of capturing American soldiers are yet another example of its lies and deceptions", A CENTCOM spokesperson told Al Jazeera Arabic.

Larijani accused Trump of “promoting a misleading narrative" about the deaths of six US soldiers in Iranian strikes, claiming the true number of US casualties is “over 500".

“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,’ he said in a post on X.

In a separate post, he stated, “It has been reported to me that several American soldiers have been taken prisoner. But the Americans claim that they have been killed in action. Despite their futile efforts, the truth is not something they can hide for too long".

The development comes as the United States and Israel engage in a high-intensity military conflict with Iran.

Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News