Iranian forces have reportedly shot down two more advanced US fighter jets, including a second F‑35, despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran’s air defenses had been destroyed.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that its newly developed air defense systems successfully targeted and destroyed a stealth F‑35 fighter jet in central Iran. Iranian state media outlet Press TV published several images of the destroyed aircraft.
The aircraft, belonging to the Lakenheath squadron, was said to have been completely obliterated upon impact. The IRGC noted that due to the total disintegration of the jet, the fate of the pilot remains uncertain.
More photos from the downed US F-35 fighter jet in central Iran
Follow: https://t.co/mLGcUTS2ei pic.twitter.com/Y7LKBoCnsR
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 3, 2026
Earlier the same day, the IRGC reported that another advanced US fighter jet had been intercepted south of Qeshm Island. According to the statement, the aircraft crashed between Hengam and Qeshm islands, plunging “into the depths of the ever‑Persian Gulf.”
The IRGC described the downing as a direct response to Washington’s rhetoric, specifically Trump’s assertion that US forces had eliminated Iran’s air defense capabilities.
“Following the false claim of the liar US president regarding the complete destruction of the IRGC’s air defense, moments ago an advanced enemy fighter jet was hit in the south of Qeshm Island by the modern advanced air defense system of the IRGC Navy, under the control of the country’s integrated air defense network,” the statement declared.
These latest interceptions add to what Iran describes as a growing list of US aviation losses. On 11 March, the IRGC claimed to have struck another F‑35 in central Iran’s airspace.
Spokesman of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters:
🔺 A second US fifth-generation F-35 was struck & downed over central Iran by a new IRGC Aerospace Force air-defense system.
🔺 Given the massive explosion on impact and during the crash, the pilot is unlikely to have ejected. pic.twitter.com/akrsz1m8Mm
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 3, 2026
US media later reported that an F‑35 had made an emergency landing at a US base in West Asia after suspected Iranian fire, with NPR noting that the heavily damaged aircraft would not return to service.
According to Iranian armed forces, they have so far downed two F‑35s, one F‑18, two F‑16s, and four F‑15s since the start of hostilities. The US military, however, has officially confirmed only the loss of three F‑15s and one KC‑135 tanker, attributing the incidents to “friendly fire” or “accidents.”
Ethan Levins on CENTCOM denying Iran downed a fighter jet:
If no planes were shot down,
Why are recovery drones circling this random area in the ocean? pic.twitter.com/LaAKIDRIDH
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 3, 2026
Recently, the Pentagon announced the crash of an F‑35 in Nevada, but military analysts widely interpreted the statement as a cover story intended to mask losses sustained in the conflict with Iran.
