U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a blistering rebuttal on Monday, dismissing Iranian claims that its forces struck an American F-35 as nothing more than “rampant” propaganda.
The statement comes after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took credit last Thursday for allegedly damaging the advanced stealth fighter during a combat mission over Iran, an event the IRGC hailed as a major milestone since the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28.
In a direct move to counter the narrative spreading across social media, CENTCOM labeled the Iranian reports as a coordinated effort to mislead the public.
“The disinformation campaign from the Iranian regime is rampant,” the command stated on Monday. Military officials pointed out that the IRGC has frequently used fake or misleading imagery on platforms like X to support false claims of downing American jets. “To be clear: No U.S. fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran,” CENTCOM stated, flatly rejecting the IRGC’s latest victory lap.
READ: Netanyahu Shrugs Off Claims Israel Pulled The Strings In U.S.-Iran Conflict
The U.S. military further clarified that recent rumors regarding a downed F-15 over Kuwait are also “NOT TRUE.” While Operation Epic Fury has seen some American aircraft losses, none have been at the hands of the Iranian military.
The only confirmed losses include a tragic mid-air collision involving a KC-135 Stratotanker in Iraq that killed six crew members, and a friendly fire incident where Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly shot down three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles shortly after the war began.
By highlighting these specific, documented accidents, U.S. officials aim to distinguish the reality of the conflict from what they describe as a series of Iranian fabrications.
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