The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) firmly denied claims made by Iran that it successfully shot down an American F-18 fighter jet. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had previously announced that its advanced air defense systems intercepted and destroyed the aircraft over the southern coastal city of Chabahar.
Official Iranian state media circulated video footage purportedly showing a mid-air strike and the jet subsequently crashing. However, CENTCOM quickly dismissed the reports and footage as false, releasing a statement explicitly clarifying that no U.S. fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iranian forces.