Iran Claims Downing Second US F-35 Jet

Iran's military claimed on Friday to have shot down a second U.S. F-35 fighter jet over central Iran, marking a potential escalation in the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Washington that began on February 28. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that its air defense systems struck the stealth aircraft in Markazi province, causing it to crash with the pilot unlikely to have survived due to a massive explosion on impact. U.S. Central Command has not confirmed the incident, though it previously dismissed similar Iranian assertions as false.

The claim, reported by Iranian state media including Mehr News Agency, follows a March 19 episode where Iran said it damaged another F-35 during a combat mission, forcing an emergency landing at a U.S. base in the Middle East. U.S. officials at the time confirmed the jet was hit by suspected Iranian fire but reported the pilot sustained only minor injuries and landed safely. The F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation fighter costing between $80 million and $100 million per unit, represents a key asset in U.S. and allied air operations, equipped with stealth technology, advanced sensors, and precision strike capabilities.