Iran has claimed that the United States has suffered 200 casualties in retaliatory strikes in the Middle East. The Pentagon, however, says that number is only three.

Iran Has Confirmed The Death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that strikes on military bases in the Middle East have caused the death of 200 military personnel. “As a result of missile strikes on American bases, at least 200 US military personnel were killed and injured,” the Tasnim news agency reported Saturday, citing a statement by the IRGC.

This is a rather large discrepancy. Is Iran bolstering the numbers to make it look like it has some kind of upper hand in the war? Or is the U.S. hiding the number of deaths to make Iran appear weaker? It is possible that both are true, and the numbers could be in the middle somewhere, but it’s impossible to know for sure. All we know is that at least one side is lying, and neither has proven itself trustworthy.

The US Department of Defense initially refuted the claim as an outright lie, stating the attacks caused only “minor” damage to military installations and no deaths or injuries. However, on Sunday, the Pentagon admitted that at least three American soldiers have so far been killed in action and five seriously wounded in the military operation against Iran. –RT

While commenting on Iran’s retaliation, IRGC General Ebrahim Jabbari warned U.S. ruler Donald Trump that the Islamic Republic has “advanced capabilities” and is ready for a prolonged conflict. “At the start of the war, we will strike everything we have in our stockpiles,” Jabbari said, vowing to launch “the most powerful missiles later.”

“What we have not shown until now, and what, as we Iranians say, we ‘put to rest in brine,’ we will reveal in the coming days,” he added.

Back in January, Iran, Israel, and the U.S. all said that they were ready for a war.

Iran, Israel, And The United States All Say That They Are Ready For War

So far, Iran’s retaliation has hit several major U.S. airbases in the Middle East along with targets in Israel.

Some of the impacted facilities include the Fifth Fleet support center in Bahrain, a base in Iraqi Kurdistan, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, Muwaffaq Al Salti Air Base in Jordan, and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to reports. Israeli news outlets also said that some 35 missiles were launched toward Israel, with one person reportedly injured, according to a report by RT. 

This is a major advancement toward an all-out war.