US troops could be taken captive if war breaks out, top Iranian official warns
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader said on Wednesday the United States was in a “complete deadlock” and warned that US ships could be sunk and soldiers captured if war resumed.
“The least costly option for the United States is to accept Iran’s 10 conditions. If the US enters a war, it should expect that we will take a large number of their forces captive,” Mohsen Rezaei said.
He added that Washington may increase pressure on Iran through economic and naval blockade measures while seeking internal instability.
He said any renewed fighting could focus on Iran’s southern coast, areas around Isfahan and the west of the country.
Rezaei also warned that Tehran could face bombing and what he called “assassinations,” describing them as among Washington's remaining options.
Iran's football chief Mehdi Taj, once a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was sent back from Canada just hours after landing, according to a government source who spoke to Iran International.
Taj and two accompanying individuals left the country at 10:05 p.m. Tuesday, suggesting he was allowed to land but was subsequently questioned by Canadian authorities before being sent back, a source familiar with the matter told Iran International.
The immigration ministry commented only after Taj’s departure, declining to name him, citing privacy laws, and stating that individuals linked to the IRGC are not welcome in Canada—despite having granted him special permission to enter.
His brief presence came after Iran International’s exclusive report revealed that Taj had been granted a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), a special authorization that can override inadmissibility under Canadian law.
That report quickly drew political reaction in Ottawa.
Leo Housakos, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada, pressed the government on Tuesday over Taj’s entry, citing Iran International’s reporting.
“Your government can't seem to show the IRGC the door, but it can find a way to roll out the welcome mat and receive him. Leader, why is your government still unable or unwilling to enforce Canada's terrorism-related inadmissibility rules? What's the point of listing the IRGC if you're not serious about throwing him out of our country,” Housakos said.
Canada designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity in 2024, a move that allows authorities to freeze assets and can affect the admissibility of individuals with ties to the group.
Taj had been expected to travel to Vancouver to attend the FIFA Congress on April 30, hosted at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
A diaspora group had also planned a protest outside the venue, reflecting growing anger among Iranian-Canadians over the report of an Islamic Republic official with ties to the IRGC.
Taj began his career as an intelligence commander in the IRGC in Isfahan following the 1979 revolution, where IRGC intelligence units were tasked with monitoring internal dissent, including among Kurdish populations.
His sudden departure now raises fresh questions—about how he was granted entry in the first place.
Many Canadians are questioning how someone deemed inadmissible under the country’s own terrorism-related laws could have been offered an exemption or special permission to enter at all.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Moscow shared Washington's position on Iran's nuclear program, following a call between the two leaders.
“He doesn't want to see them have a nuclear weapon either,” Trump said, referring to Russia's president Vladimir Putin.
Trump said Iran had been significantly weakened militarily and had a "small percentage of missile-making facilities," warning that remaining capabilities could be quickly targeted.
He added that the United States would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.
The Russian president expressed interest in being involved in Iran’s nuclear issue during the phone call between the two leaders, Trump said.
“He told me he'd like to be involved with the enrichment if he can help us get it,” Trump said, adding he preferred Putin would focus on ending the Ukraine war.
Trump also said that talks with Iran were being conducted by phone and that Iran must agree to give up its position in order to reach a deal.
Six crew members from the Iranian-flagged vessel M/V Touska have been freed by the US and returned to Iran, IRGC-linked Tasnim News reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, 28 Iranian crew members had been aboard the vessel, which it said was heading to Iran when it was seized by the United States.
Iran was continuing efforts to secure the release of the remaining 22 crew members, the report said.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi is facing a “slow death” in prison as Tehran prosecutors continue to block her release on medical leave despite official medical recommendations, according to her family and foundation.
The Narges Foundation said Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization in Zanjan had officially confirmed Mohammadi needs at least one month of medical leave, but Tehran’s prosecutor is still preventing her release and judicial authorities are refusing to send her to hospital.
Her lawyers, who visited her on April 28, described her condition as “critical.”
According to the statement, Mohammadi’s blood pressure has fluctuated dangerously between 15 and 17 in recent days and has not responded to medication. She has also lost more than 19 kilograms and is suffering from chest pain, headaches and recurring nausea.
Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her advocacy for human rights and freedom for all.
She has spent much of the past decade in and out of prison over her activism against compulsory hijab laws, the death penalty and the Islamic Republic’s treatment of political prisoners.
She was most recently arrested in December 2025 after attending the funeral of dissident lawyer Khosro Alikordi.
Her repeated detentions and reported denial of medical treatment have drawn widespread condemnation from international rights organizations and Western governments.
Two cardiology specialists in Zanjan reportedly said she cannot be treated there and should instead be placed under the care of her doctor at Pars Hospital in Tehran.
French lawyer Shirin Ardakani called the denial of vital medical treatment “a form of torture.”
Mohammadi’s brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, described the situation as a “slow death,” while her daughter Kiana Rahmani said more than 138 days of medical neglect have pushed her mother to the brink of death.
Iran’s Justice Minister Amin Rahimi said all state institutions are aligned behind the country’s Supreme National Security Council on decisions regarding war and negotiations.
“In matters such as war or negotiation it is the Supreme National Security Council that makes decisions based on the interests of the country,” Rahimi said in comments carried by Tasnim News Agency.
He added that such decisions are implemented after the approval of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and said all branches of the state share the same goal of protecting the rights of the Iranian people.
