Iran's senior armed forces spokesman has claimed that at least 1,321 Israeli soldiers and between 600 and 800 US military personnel have been killed since the conflict began, figures that cannot be independently verified and which Washington and Tel Aviv have not confirmed.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces, made the claims in a statement carried by Tasnim News Agency on March 26, adding that Iran's strikes on enemy targets would continue and intensify if its conditions for ending hostilities were not met.

Shekarchi said Israeli casualty figures were being heavily censored by Tel Aviv, citing what he described as a missile strike on the Haifa area that killed and wounded around 100 people. He claimed a strike on a building housing US forces had killed and wounded around 160 personnel, and alleged heavy casualties at the US Navy's Fifth Fleet base.

The spokesman said Iran's air defence capabilities were advancing at an accelerating pace, including what he described as the ability to target fifth-generation fighter jets, and that the status of the Strait of Hormuz would depend on whether Iran's ceasefire conditions were met.

Shekarchi also claimed Iran held "the upper hand" in the conflict, describing the US strategy as seeking "an honourable exit from the war."

He said Iran's national unity had been reinforced since the death of the supreme leader, with a new leader chosen "in the shortest possible time."

Neither the US Department of Defense nor the Israeli military have released casualty figures consistent with Iran's claims. The figures should be treated with caution as wartime statements from a party to the conflict.