Iran claims to have shot down F-18 fighter jet over Chabahar; U.S. fact-check tells different story

U.S. Central Command on Wednesday fact-checked reports that Iran shot down a U.S. F-16 fighter jet over Chabahar, amid intense military operations underway in the Middle East involving Iran and the U.S.-Israeli military partnership.Central Command, the U.S. military command responsible for Middle East affairs, responded on the social media platform X that Iran’s claims were “false.”U.S. Central Command once again strengthened its position, refuting all claims that a U.S. fighter jet was shot down by Iranian forces, and stated on X: “No U.S. fighter jets have been shot down by Iran.”Earlier, Iranian state-affiliated media outlet Press TV shared footage on X purportedly showing the crash over the coastal city of Chabahar.In the video, a jet that Iran claimed was an American F-18 was “successfully” shot down. “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had successfully targeted an American F-18 fighter jet,” the media said when publishing the video.Hours earlier, Iran rejected a U.S. ceasefire offer and warned attacks would continue until its demands were met. Tehran has dismissed a reported US 15-point plan, saying any truce could only happen on Tehran’s “own terms and timetable,” a senior official told Press TV. “Iran will end the war when it decides to end it, not when Trump envisions it ending,” the official added.Iran’s conditions include a cessation of attacks, guarantees against future conflicts, compensation for war losses, an end to hostilities on all fronts and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.