The United States Central Command on Wednesday fact-checked reports that Iran shot down a US F-16 fighter jet over Chabahar, amid the ongoing intensified military action in the Middle East between Iran and the US-Israel military partnership.Central Command, the US military command responsible for the Middle East, responded on social media platform X, dismissing the Iranian claims as “false”.
Strengthening its stance, US CENTCOM once again refuted all claims of downing of US combat aircraft by Iranian forces, saying on X: “No US combat aircraft have been downed by Iran.”Earlier, Iran’s state-affiliated outlet Press TV had shared footage on Twitter purportedly showing a crash over the coastal city of Chabahar.In the clip, a jet, which Iran claims is a US F-18, is “successfully” shot down. “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that it has successfully targeted a US F-18 fighter jet,” the outlet said in posting the video.The development came hours after Iran rejected a US proposal for a ceasefire, warning that attacks would continue until its demands were met. A senior official told Press TV that Tehran rejected the 15-point US plan and said any ceasefire would only be on its “own terms and timeline”. “Iran will end the war when it decides, not when Trump imagines it ending,” the official said.Iran’s stated conditions include a halt to attacks, guarantees against future conflict, compensation for war damage, an end to hostilities on all fronts, and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.