By The South Asia Times

TEHRAN - Iran's top national security adviser, Ali Larijani, has claimed that remaining members of Jeffrey Epstein's network, apparently referring to the Trump administration, are planning to stage a catastrophic attack similar to September 11, 2001, and blame it on the Islamic Republic.

In a post on X Sunday, Larijani, who serves as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, claimed to have received intelligence about a complex false-flag operation designed to justify further American military action against Tehran.

"I've heard that the remaining members of Epstein's network have devised a conspiracy to create an incident similar to 9/11 and blame Iran for it. Iran fundamentally opposes such terrorist schemes and has no war with the American people," Larijani wrote.

The extraordinary claim comes amid a raging information war accompanying the expanding conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance, now in its third week.

Larijani's claim came as some social media users already accused the Trump administration of launching military action against Iran to distract from renewed scrutiny of President Donald Trump's historical associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Pro-Iranian accounts link US and Israeli leaders to Epstein, using the term "Epstein regime" to describe the American-Israeli alliance.

Larijani's statement coincides with new claims from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) about the toll of the ongoing conflict -- figures that stand in stark contrast to Western and Israeli accounts.

The IRGC has asserted that its forces have killed nearly 500 US soldiers in the region since the war began on February 28, along with more than 1,000 Israeli personnel.

In a statement reported by semi-official Fars News Agency, the IRGC claimed its "Operation True Promise 4" missile and drone barrages have targeted American installations across the Middle East, including Al-Harir Air Base in Erbil and the Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases in Kuwait.

However, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has consistently dismissed such claims as fabrications. In a point-by-point rebuttal following earlier IRGC casualty assertions, CENTCOM stated: "The Iranian regime claims to have killed 50 US service members. LIE. There have been no reported US casualties".

Official figures compiled by Reuters paint a dramatically different picture. As of March 5, confirmed US military fatalities stood at six service members, with total American deaths in the conflict remaining in the single digits. Israeli authorities have reported 12 civilians and two soldiers killed.

However, some analysts viewed that the US and Israel both are hiding their actual damages and casualties. 

According to the Iranian Health Ministry, more than 1,200 civilians have been killed, including at least 168 schoolgirls and staff in a single strike on a primary school in Minab on the war's first day. Over 10,000 Iranians have been injured, and the UNHCR reports up to 3.2 million people are temporarily displaced.

- The Netanyahu Question

The IRGC also reiterated Sunday its claim to have killed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening that even if he survived previous strikes, Iranian forces would continue pursuing him.

"If he is still alive, we will continue pursuing and killing him with full force," the IRGC statement said.

Netanyahu's office has dismissed these claims as "fake news," insisting the prime minister is "fine".

However, the Israeli leader's continued absence from live, unscripted public appearances has fueled speculation.

His office has released pre-recorded video statements and text-based remarks, but Netanyahu has not held a live press conference where he could take questions since the Iranian claims emerged.

The war has drawn in Gulf states hosting US military assets, with casualties reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz through which 20% of the world's traded oil passes, sending global prices surging. Brent crude spiked to nearly $120 per barrel before stabilizing around $90.

Larijani, a close Khamenei ally who has emerged as a key figure in Iran's provisional governing structure following the Supreme Leader's death, has consistently ruled out negotiations with Washington. In recent posts, he accused Trump of plunging the region into chaos with "delusional fantasies" and sacrificing American soldiers "for Israel's power-hungry ambitions".