Adviser to Mojtaba Khamenei claims hundreds of US soldiers killed, wounded in Iranian strikes

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, claimed on Monday that hundreds of US soldiers were killed and wounded in Iranian strikes throughout July, with Iranian sources estimating nearly 500 US soldiers killed. This contrasts with US Central Command (CENTCOM) figures, which reported four US soldiers killed in Jordan and Iraq in July 2026, and 14 earlier in the year, with 417 wounded in the war with Iran and 207 in "Overseas Operations." Rezaei asserted that Israel influenced the US to engage in the conflict, calling it a "Zionist regime" pressuring the US. He also claimed that renewed ceasefire negotiations were initiated by Iran, backed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, because they "did not want to be hit" by US strikes, while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied any ongoing or scheduled negotiations.