The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran claimed on Wednesday, March 25th, that they had shot down a U.S. F/A-18 “Super Hornet” fighter jet with their air defense system and released a video of the crash site without specifying the location. However, this claim was promptly refuted by the U.S. military.
Minutes after the announcement by the Revolutionary Guard, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a “fact-checking” report definitively stating that “no U.S. fighter jets were shot down by Iran,” and also dismissed Iran’s previous claim of shooting down a U.S. F-15 fighter jet as “fake news.”
On social media, the Central Command stated: “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims to have used a new advanced air defense system to shoot down a U.S. F/A-18 fighter jet over Chabahar, this is completely false. The reality is that Iran has not shot down any U.S. fighter jets to date.”
Following the joint U.S. and Israeli “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran at the end of February, the U.S. military reportedly conducted over 8,000 combat flight missions, with all aircraft returning safely or under surveillance.
Iran has previously engaged in similar propaganda campaigns to boost domestic morale. Just days ago, Iran claimed to have shot down a U.S. F-15 fighter jet over the Persian Gulf, accompanied by so-called “wreckage photos.” However, the U.S. military later confirmed that those were old photos from a different aviation accident.
Earlier, Iranian state media reported an attack near Hormuz Island targeting a U.S. aircraft and released footage claiming to be the tracking of the target by their air defense system. However, Iranian officials later denied this claim.
Last Thursday, a U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jet made an emergency landing due to technical issues near Hormuz Island. Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, confirmed that the aircraft landed safely and the pilot was stable.
Hawkins added, “The incident is under investigation.” He did not specify the exact cause of the emergency landing but emphasized that the accident was not related to enemy fire and had no connection to Iran’s claimed “shot down” victories.