A senior Iranian official on Wednesday claimed that more than 500 American soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of war between Iran and the United States, sharply contradicting US figures.

Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the claim in a post on X, according to TRT World.

In the post, Larijani accused US President Donald Trump of being influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Now he must calculate — with over 500 American soldiers killed in just the past few days, does America still come first — or Israel,” Larijani wrote, adding that Trump had been swayed by Netanyahu’s “clownish antics” and was “dragging the American people into an unjust war with Iran.”

The Pentagon has confirmed the deaths of six US servicemen since Saturday, including four in Kuwait.

Larijani, who previously served as a senior adviser to Ali Khamenei, also issued a warning in a separate message.

“The martyrdom of Imam Khamenei will exact a heavy price from you. God willing,” he said, adding that the “story continues.”

The war began on Saturday with a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei and several senior military commanders, according to Iranian officials.

Iranian government estimates say nearly 1,050 people have been killed in four days of fighting, including 165 schoolchildren in the southern city of Minab. The reported deaths have triggered widespread anger across the country.

Iran says Khamenei was targeted at his residence in central Tehran along with members of his family.

Tehran has vowed retaliation. In recent days, it has launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and US military bases across the Middle East.

In a statement on Monday, Larijani said Iran has “prepared itself for a long war.”

He also rejected renewed negotiations with Washington, dismissing a mediation effort by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi, who had facilitated indirect nuclear talks before the conflict erupted.