Iran Claims to have Shot down US F-35 Fighter Aircraft, Arrested Pilot
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 3: A US pilot may have been captured in Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly shot down F-35 and F-15 E fighter aircraft of the US, Iranian media reported on Friday. This could be the first known loss of a US jet inside the country since the war began on February 28.
Tasnim news agency claimed a US pilot ejected over southwest Iran from an F-35 fighter jet that was hit by the IRGC Aerospace Force. It’s the second F-35 aircraft that Tehran has claimed to have shot down in the past 24 hours and the third since the conflict that began on February 28. The Iranians had claimed to have shot down another F-35 fighter aircraft on April 2 and March 23. Both those claims have been rebutted by the US Central Command, which is spearheading Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
Iran International reported that an F-15E had been downed, citing an expert’s opinion that the debris matched the aircraft’s design. Iranian government-linked sources also said the pilot had been captured. The US Central Command, the Pentagon and White House have not yet responded to reports of their jets being shot down.
The Iranian media have once claimed that an F-35 stealth fighter aircraft was shot down over central Iran by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran’s Tasnim news agency shared images of the wreckage of what they called an American jet, claiming the chances of the pilot’s survival were low.
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said in a post on X that civilians had driven towards the crash site in private vehicles, adding that many people in south-western Iran were attempting to capture the US pilot, while the armed forces urged the public not to mistreat him.
An anchor on a local Iranian channel read out an announcement saying, “Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today. Dear and honourable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus.”
Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province is an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometres. Iranian authorities also urged the public to search in neighbouring Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. A separate on-screen crawl urged the public to “shoot them if you see them.”
The developments follow after claims by Iran that a second US fifth-generation F-35 jet was struck and brought down over central Iran by an advanced air defence system operated by the IRGC. Local channels reported that the pilot had ejected from the aircraft while also announcing a reward for anyone who captured them alive.
The US President Donald Trump on Friday warned of potential strikes on Iran’s infrastructure, including bridges and electric power plants, in his latest escalation. “The US military ‘hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants,’” Trump wrote on social media, adding that Iran’s leadership “knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”
Trump on Thursday said Iran’s largest bridge had been struck and urged Tehran to reach a deal before it is “too late.” In a post on Truth Social, he shared a video showing a bridge collapsing and warned that further action could follow. Trump said, “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”
Meanwhile, the US Army Chief of Staff Randy George was dismissed on Thursday by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth marking the latest shake-up in the Pentagon’s top ranks, official sources said.
Iran and its allies exchanged fire with Israel and the United States, with Washington-linked assets across the Middle East coming under attack alongside energy and civilian infrastructure. The month-long war showed little sign of easing on Friday. Iran launched missiles at Tel Aviv overnight, triggering Israeli air defence systems and leaving four people lightly injured. Fresh explosions were also heard in Jerusalem after the military warned of incoming fire.
In Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, Israeli strikes have killed 27 people in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said.
The conflict, now in its 35th day, began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, targeting military sites and killing senior leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, the war has spread across the region, with Iran responding through missile and drone attacks and targeting US bases across the Middle East.
The human cost has mounted on all sides, with more than 1,900 people killed in Iran during the war, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. More than two dozen people have died in the Gulf States and the occupied West Bank, while 13 US service members have been killed.
