ISTANBUL

US Central Command on Sunday rejected Iran's claims that it shot down a fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet over central Iran.

"US forces have flown more than 8,000 combat flights during Operation Epic Fury. No US fighter aircraft have been shot down by Iran," CENTCOM said on US social media company X.

Before the post, a spokesman of CENTCOM told Anadolu that they had no comment at that time regarding Iran’s claim that it had “shot down an F-15.”

On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it had struck and “seriously damaged” a US F-35 fighter jet over central Iran.

In a statement, the IRGC said the aircraft was hit by its air defense systems at around 2.50 am early Thursday (2320GMT Wednesday night), adding that “a US F-35 fighter jet was struck and seriously damaged” over central Iran.

It added that “the fate of the aircraft remains unknown and is under investigation,” noting there is a “high possibility” that the jet may have crashed.

The IRGC also said the operation came “following the successful interception of more than 125 US-Israeli drones,” adding that the incident “reflects significant and targeted improvements in the country’s integrated air defense systems.”

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.