U.S. military officials on Thursday refuted claims made by Iranian officials that the country destroyed multiple American F-35 planes in an attack on a Jordanian base.
In a post on social media, the military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said that “no U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged in recent attempted Iranian attacks” and that “all missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas.”
That comment was in response to what it said were claims by the Iranian paramilitary organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that three F-35 jets, a stealth plane that is considered among the most advanced military aircraft in the world, and three other American aircraft were shot down during an attack on a U.S. air base.
Through state-run Tasnim News, the IRGC said Thursday that it killed U.S. troops and destroyed the three stealth planes at the Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
The comments from CENTCOM and the IRGC came amid renewed fighting between the two nations, trading barrages of missiles on Thursday in what appears to be a setback for negotiations on a potential peace deal.
Following a few days of respite in the conflict, fears of a wider war have grown with renewed fighting threatening to engulf even more countries.
Jordan said Thursday it intercepted Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike in the northern part of the country killed one person. Also this week, drones caused fires on ships at an Egyptian port, and Saudi Arabia said it came under fire from Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
The conflict caused oil and gasoline prices to spike worldwide, including in the United States, potentially posing problems for the Republican Party during the upcoming midterm elections in November.
On Thursday, CENTCOM said U.S. forces struck dozens of targets belonging to the IRGC, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance and defense sites.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi didn’t outright deny Iranian involvement in the attack in Egypt, but said, “Egypt is considered a friend and important partner in the region, and its security constitutes an utmost priority for us.”
“We must all remain vigilant toward Israeli schemes and ‘false flag’ operations that aim to undermine regional peace,” he added, without elaborating, in a post on X. “The threat is clear, shared, and fears Muslim solidarity.”
Meanwhile, CENTCOM on Thursday said that the IRGC is the reason the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which around a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes, is too dangerous to cross. Further, the command denied that an oil tanker, the M/T Nora, broke through the U.S. blockade of Iran.
“The immediate dangers posed to commercial vessels and their civilian crews are the IRGC’s verbal threats and attempted attacks,” it said in the X post.
