The New York Times, which first reported that a fighter jet had been downed, said the status of the crew remains unknown. "Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," Iran's Fars news agency confirmed. Similar claims earlier refuted by US On Friday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency claimed that the country had shot down a “highly advanced American fighter jet". Iranian state media have previously made similar claims about downing US aircraft, which the US has refuted. On Thursday, Central Command dismissed a claim by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had shot down an enemy fighter jet over an island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Mint April 03, 2026 19:30 UTC