Iran has claimed it shot down a US fighter jet—identified as an F-18—over the coastal city of Chabahar, even as the United States has firmly denied the reports, calling them false.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said on Wednesday that no American aircraft had been downed amid the ongoing tensions involving Iran and the US-Israel military partnership. Responding on social media platform X, CENTCOM stated unequivocally: “No US fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran.”
Earlier, Iran’s state-affiliated outlet Press TV shared a video purportedly showing a jet crash near Chabahar. The outlet claimed that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had “successfully” targeted and shot down an American F-18 fighter jet.
The competing claims come amid escalating hostilities in the region. Iran has also rejected a US-backed ceasefire proposal, signalling that military operations will continue until its conditions are met. According to Iranian officials cited by Press TV, any truce would occur only on Tehran’s “own terms and timeline.”
Iran’s stated demands include an immediate halt to attacks, assurances against future conflict, compensation for war-related damages, a cessation of hostilities across all fronts, and formal recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
