Iran Calls On Middle East Residents To Identify Whereabouts Of U.S. Troops, Claims Americans Hiding After Fleeing Bases
Iran Calls On Middle East Residents To Identify Whereabouts Of U.S. Troops, Claims Americans Hiding After Fleeing Bases
In a statement by Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a video: “Given that American bases in the Middle East have been destroyed, commanders and soldiers have fled and taken refuge in hideouts outside the bases. We are looking for them.”
Iran’s military has called on residents across the Middle East to report what it claims are hiding places of United States troops, alleging that American forces have abandoned their bases following recent hostilities.
In a statement by Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a video: “Given that American bases in the Middle East have been destroyed, commanders and soldiers have fled and taken refuge in hideouts outside the bases. We are looking for them.”
The statement directly appealed to civilians in the region to assist Iranian forces, adding, “We urge people of the region to report their hiding places and at the same time for their own security.”
Iranian authorities also reiterated their broader political demand regarding the U.S. military presence, stating: “We demand expulsion of Americans from the region and victory comes from God.”
The development comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with both sides exchanging sharp rhetoric and military posturing. While Iran claimed victory on Thursday, the United States had earlier made similar assertions on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed opposing narratives, describing them as “fake news,” while insisting that the conflict had already been decided in Washington’s favour.
“This war has been won, the only one that like to keep it going is fake news,” Trump recently said in a video shared by the U.S. Department of State via X.
He criticised media coverage, particularly targeting The New York Times, saying: “You read the New York Times that says we are not winning the war but they have no Navy, they have no Air force, they have no nothing.”
Trump also pointed to what he described as overwhelming U.S. military superiority, stating: “For instance if I want to take down that Power Plant, that very big powerful power plant, they can’t do a thing about it.”
Iran had earlier warned that any strike on its power infrastructure would have catastrophic consequences for the wider Middle East.
Amid the escalating conflict, there have been renewed calls for negotiations to halt the fighting, which has led to significant casualties and destruction.
Trump had suggested that both Washington and Tehran were open to a deal, saying in remarks shared by Fox News: “They want, very much, to make a deal. We’d like to make a deal, too. We’re going to get together today.
“If it goes well, we’re going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out.”
However, Iran swiftly denied any negotiations, insisting that the United States was “negotiating with itself.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that a wave of Iranian missile and drone attacks on American military installations across the Middle East has forced thousands of U.S. troops to abandon traditional bases and relocate to hotels, office buildings, and other improvised locations, as the conflict drags into its fourth week.
Military personnel and U.S. officials confirmed that the bombardments, launched by Iran in retaliation for joint U.S.-Israeli operations, have rendered several strategic bases partially or completely unusable, disrupting command structures and complicating battlefield coordination.
The conflict, which began on February 28, 2026, escalated after the U.S. and Israel launced strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, along with other top officials.
