By Our Correspondent 

TEHRAN -A senior Iranian military official claimed that more than 300 United States soldiers had been killed over the past six days, while Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, was targeted in Tel Aviv and vowed to continue fighting and take revenge for the killing of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.

In an exclusive interview with The South Asia Times, the official -- speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter -- detailed Iran's military strategy, denied involvement in attacks on neighboring countries, and issued a chilling warning about the scope of revenge yet to come for the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The official began by addressing international calls for Iranian restraint amid the escalating conflict.

"Since February 28, Iran has targeted Israel and US assets in the Middle East -- only those locations from which US forces have attacked Iran," the official said.

"From any base they fire missiles, from any airfield their fighter jets come to bomb and kill our innocent people -- we hit those sites."

The official pointed to the mounting civilian toll as justification for Iran's response.

"Just look, over 1,000 civilians have been killed so far by the US and Israel. And the world is asking us to restrain ourselves. What kind of restraint do they want? They are killing us, and we should just become spectators?"

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based group that relies on a network of activists inside Iran, at least 1,172 civilians have been killed since the conflict began, including 194 children under the age of 10 and 176 military fatalities.

The group reports it is reviewing 880 additional reports of deaths, suggesting the toll could rise further. HRANA has also verified "credible reports of attacks on at least seven medical centers and emergency health facilities" in Iran. While the US, Israel carried out 664 attacks across 136 incidents in 28 provinces.

The Iranian military official's figure of over 1,000 civilians killed is consistent with other reports indicating that the humanitarian toll continues to grow rapidly, with rights groups reporting heavy civilian casualties from ongoing bombardments.

In a significant clarification, the official addressed Iran's neighbors directly, many of whom have been caught in the crossfire or have seen their own facilities damaged.

"One thing I want to clarify to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan: we have not fired a single missile or drone at their oil facilities, civilian buildings, or government installations," the official stated emphatically. "We have only hit US bases and their assets."

The official urged regional countries to conduct their own investigations.

"These countries must investigate who has fired on their oil facilities, civilian airports, and civilian markets. They should know that it is the US and Israel who are carrying out this conspiracy against us and the Arab world. They want to push us into an internecine fight."

Recent events support this warning. On March 2, a drone attack targeted a refinery at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia's largest oil-exporting port. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi immediately denied involvement, telling CNN: "We are not responsible for that. We have already been in touch with our Saudi brothers... Iran is not responsible for the attack on the oil installations in Saudi Arabia".

Iranian media sources claimed the attacks were part of an Israeli "false flag" operation designed to mislead regional countries and divert attention from attacks on civilian sites within Iran.

Similarly, when drones struck Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region, wounding two civilians and damaging the international airport terminal, Iran again denied involvement. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi assured his Azerbaijani counterpart that Tehran had not authorized or conducted any drone strikes targeting Azerbaijani territory, suggesting Israel may have been behind the attacks to manipulate public opinion and damage Iran's relations with neighbors.

The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces issued a formal statement categorically rejecting the reports and holding the "fake Israeli regime" responsible.

"Why would we hit Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or Qatar?" the military official asked. "They are our Muslim brothers. We already informed them that they should not allow the US to use their territory or airspace against us. We made clear: we will respond to the US and hit those sites from which they attack us."

- Casualty figures: challenging US and Israeli accounts

The official provided casualty figures that sharply contradict official US and Israeli statements.

"The US only shows six personnel killed," the official said. "But ask Trump: how many dead bodies is he hiding from his own nation? Over 300 US soldiers have been killed during the last six days," Iranian military official claimed.

This claim finds partial support from Iranian officials. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in a social media post, claimed that the United States had lost some 500 soldiers since the conflict began, arguing that the heavy loss exposes Trump's "America First" mantra as deceitful.

"Mr. Trump, swayed by Netanyahu's clownish antics, has dragged the American people into an unjust war with Iran. 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.

The Iranian military official also claimed heavy Israeli casualties.

"More than 600 Israelis have been killed. Ask Israel to allow independent media into Tel Aviv and other cities -- show the world that nothing has happened there," he challenged.

Describing one successful strike, the official said: "I was watching: four buildings were destroyed in one of our missile attacks -- all of them Israeli soldiers' apartments. Later, Israeli media said 'one person' was killed -- they even hid the word 'soldier.'

In Israel, we are not hitting civilians. We target officials and defense locations. But the death toll in Israel is more than 600."

The official added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "narrowly escaped on March 2" and is now "hiding underground, unable to come out or visit his affected areas."

- 'The revenge will be very soon'

On the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death in joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 was confirmed by Iranian state television, the official's tone turned hard.

"The world will see the revenge very soon," he promised. "Those who martyred our leader -- we will not pardon them. The Iranian nation and Muslims across the world are demanding revenge. So, revenge we will take, and they will see what happens to them."

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has already vowed to launch the "most ferocious" operation in history against Israel and US bases. In a statement, the IRGC said it would give the aggressors a punishment with "educational value".

President Masoud Pezeshkian has called Khamenei's killing a "declaration of war against Muslims," stating that avenging the supreme leader is both the right and obligation of the Islamic Republic. "The pure blood of Khamenei will eradicate American-Zionist oppression and crime," Pezeshkian declared.

- 'We can fight till doomsday'

The official dismissed any suggestion that Iran's military capacity might be exhausted.

"We are not targeting civilians -- that is not our custom. Unlike the cowards Trump and Netanyahu, who have killed over 1,000 Iranian civilians, including more than 200 children, we do not strike civilian populations."

Regarding the duration of the conflict, the official was unequivocal.

"We can fight till Doomsday. Allah is with us, and we will fight until the US and Israel surrender."

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, has already stated that Iran is prepared for a long war, unlike the United States. "Iranian armed forces have not engaged in any attacks except in defense," Larijani wrote on X.

The interview comes amid escalating regional hostilities. Iran has launched successive waves of missile and drone attacks on US bases in Gulf countries, while US and Israeli strikes continue to target Iranian military infrastructure. Saudi Arabia recently reported intercepting three cruise missiles approaching Al-Kharj city.

The conflict has severely disrupted regional air travel, with more than 20,000 flights cancelled across eight countries in the past five days. Pakistan's flights to several Middle Eastern destinations have faced major disruptions, with at least 145 flights cancelled as airlines adjust schedules due to security risks.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called the operation "clear, devastating, decisive," stating that there were more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours. "With every passing day, our capabilities get stronger, and Iran's get weaker," Hegseth said .

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has acknowledged that more losses are expected, warning "this is not a single overnight operation".

As the conflict entered its second week, the Iranian military official's message was clear: Iran holds regional nations blameless and urges them to investigate attacks on their soil carefully, while reserving its right to retaliate massively against the United States and Israel.

"The story continues," as Larijani posted on X. "The martyrdom of Imam Khamenei will exact a heavy price from you. God willing.