US Central Command issued a fact-check on Wednesday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed they’d struck a F/A-18 fighter jet over Chabahar. The IRGC had claimed that the US jet had been struck using ‘new advanced air defense systems.’
CENTCOM’s clarification comes at a time when the US and Israel are engaged in war with Iran. Joint airstrikes by the nations took out Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Taking to X, CENTCOM wrote “No U.S. fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran.”
CENTCOM issued their fact-check even as a video appearing to show a plane getting hit went viral. Many said it was a US F18 that had been hit. Russian state-backed media RT posted a copy of the video and wrote “US F-18 JET HIT BY AIR DEFENSES OVER IRAN — IRGC.”
The CENTCOM post also drew a range of reactions.
US F18 shot down? CENTCOM fact-check draws reactions
Many people questioned how the video could be fake. “Literally a video of US fighter aircraft being shot down over Iran,” one person remarked. Another added “Slow Motion.. Direct Impact Can Be Seen,” and shared a slow motion clip of the video.
Yet another added “So…what’s the video that we all saw of?.”
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Prior to this, Iran had also claimed to have brought down a F-35 jet of the US military. However, US authorities did not confirm a hit from Iran though they did acknowledge that the plane had had to make an emergency landing.
Meanwhile, the war against Iran has brought a lot of heat on President Donald Trump back home. He’s faced criticism for entering into combat after his presidential promise was less wars. Republican Nancy Mace today spoke out about the war and said on X “The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today in the House Armed Services Committee. This gap is deeply troubling. The longer this war continues, the faster it will lose the support of Congress and the American people.”
Iran-US war update
Iran has dismissed a US plan to pause the Middle East conflict as of Wednesday, Associated Press reported. The move came as the US has deployed more paratroopers and Marines to the region.
“Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met,” the nation’s Press TV reported an official of the regime say.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, insisted the US and Iran are in ongoing talks. On the other hand, Iranian officials deny it. “Talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be,” Leavitt said when responding to reporter questions.
