The United States military has denied Iranian assertions that a missile attack destroyed American F-35 fighter jets and killed military personnel, insisting all incoming threats were intercepted or failed to reach their targets.
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday firmly rejected claims made by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) regarding damage inflicted during recent missile attacks. According to CENTCOM, no American aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the attempted Iranian strikes, despite Tehran's insistence that the assault successfully targeted the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
The IRGC had claimed responsibility for destroying three F-35 stealth fighters and damaging three others in the attack, and alleged that several American military officers and technical personnel were killed. CENTCOM countered these assertions by stating that all incoming missile threats were either intercepted or failed to reach their intended targets. However, the command did not address the Iranian allegations regarding casualty figures.
The incident marks an escalation in recent hostilities in the region. Jordan's military confirmed it had intercepted and downed five missiles launched from Iran, marking the fourth consecutive day of such attacks. CENTCOM additionally dismissed other Iranian claims, including assertions that an oil tanker named M/T Nora had breached US naval operations in the area. The command maintained that over 20 warships and hundreds of aircraft continue to enforce what it describes as a strict blockade.
Adding to the tensions, CENTCOM released audio it claims captures an IRGC operative warning a commercial vessel and threatening to target it if it did not immediately return to its departure point. The US military attributed responsibility for threats to maritime safety to Iranian actions rather than the American blockade operations.
