The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied allegations that Iran shot down a US Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter jet, stating these reports are part of an Iranian “disinformation campaign.”
CENTCOM addressed the claims on the social media platform X, saying: “Rumors are again circulating about a US F-15 being shot down over Kuwait. They are NOT TRUE.”
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Previously, Iran’s state news outlet, the Islamic Republic News Agency, reported that the Iranian Army engaged an enemy F-15 near Hormuz Island on Iran’s southern coast.
According to the report, surface-to-air missiles operated by the Army’s Air Defence Force targeted and struck the aircraft.
CENTCOM responded by reiterating that similar claims have circulated in the past using misleading or fabricated images.
“Lies about US aircraft being shot down by Iran have been circulated multiple times on different platforms using fake or misleading imagery,” it said.
The incident follows previous reports by Iranian authorities that an Israeli F-16 fighter jet was intercepted and damaged by Iranian air defence units after a separate claim regarding an American F-35 warplane.
The Tehran Times reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps damaged an F-16 using “modern air defense systems.”
Iran also claimed to have hit and damaged a USAF F-35 on 20 March 2026.
However, CENTCOM said that “no US fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran”.
Earlier this month, CENTCOM confirmed that three US F-15E Strike Eagles crashed over due to a friendly fire incident during Operation Epic Fury.
Kuwaiti air defences mistakenly downed the jets during active combat involving Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones. All six aircrew members ejected safely and have been recovered in stable condition.
