An F-35A Lightning II and two F-16 Fighting Falcons, assigned to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, fly above the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, July 28, 2021. The aircraft participated in air refueling with an Alaska Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kaylee Dubois)
Iran claims that it shot down a US F-35 fighter jet on Friday, as the conflict escalates with Trump threatening to ramp up attacks on Iran.
Reports of the incident and an ongoing search and rescue effort in Southern Iran remain unconfirmed at this time. However, if true, this could be used as justification for search and rescue and a larger ground operation.
Images of purported wreckage are circulating across the internet.
US Central Command denied reports that a jet was shot down in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, writing in a fact check, “All U.S. fighter aircraft are accounted for. Iran’s IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times.”
CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it downed an “enemy” fighter jet over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
FACT: All U.S. fighter aircraft are accounted for. Iran’s IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times. pic.twitter.com/bN7HJdLxEr
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 2, 2026
Per The Guardian:
Iran has said a second US F-35 fighter jet has been shot down over Iran, with the state news agency saying it’s unlikely the pilot survived, Reuters reports.
The incident comes as Iran has been firing on targets across the Middle East, on Friday, including firing missiles at Israel and Bahrain, and setting alight an oil refinery in Kuwait with drone attacks.
Last month, the US military said in a statement that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran. The military said the pilot of that jet was in stable condition.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central HQ said on Friday the second F-35 jet was shot down over central Iran by Revolutionary Guard air defences, with low chances of pilot survival, Reuters reported.
There was no immediate comment from the US, and the Guardian has not been able to confirm the report.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request from The Gateway Pundit.
This comes after President Trump posted a video of Iran’s B1 bridge in Karaj, the tallest bridge in the Middle East, being destroyed in an airstrike on Thursday.
“The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump said on Thursday.
WATCH:
Iranian state media also posted the following clip.
Trump delivered an address to the nation on Wednesday, where he said, “We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.”
Still, the US is close to completing all objectives of Operation Epic Fury, Trump said while appearing to signal an approaching end to the war, regardless of whether Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz.
“In the meantime, discussions are ongoing,” he said, noting that “If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.”
MORE:
WATCH: “We’re Going to Bring Them Back to the Stone Ages” – Trump Says Iran Strikes Will Continue and All Objectives Will Be Completed “Very Shortly”, Suggests He Will Let the Strait of Hormuz Reopen “Naturally”
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