(Photo: X)
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, has made fun of the United States for continuing to search for a crew member who went missing after an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down. The derisive comments came after a military search on Friday that resulted in the safe recovery of one person from the plane by American personnel. But in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, it was unclear how the second crew member was doing and where he was.
Ghalibaf claimed on the social media site X that the US’s mission goals had significantly decreased. “This brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! After defeating Iran 37 times in a row,” he tweeted. Is there anyone who can locate our pilots? Would you please? The parliamentary leader continued his caustic criticism, saying, “Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses.” This high-level political taunting comes amidst broader claims from Tehran regarding US aerial losses. The Iranian military has asserted that its forces also successfully targeted and downed a US A-10 aircraft, according to a report by Al Jazeera. This claim follows separate media reports indicating that a second combat aircraft belonging to the US Air Force had crashed in the Middle East on Friday, significantly heightening regional tensions.
Despite the specific details provided by Iranian sources, both the Pentagon and the White House did not provide an “immediate comment” regarding the status of the aircraft or the veracity of the claims. Further reports from Al Jazeera, citing the Tasnim news agency, specify that the alleged downing of the US A-10 aircraft took place in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. Referencing the army public relations team, the report stated that the “aircraft was targeted in waters south of and around the strategic waterway.” While these claims remain unverified, technical specifications note that the “A-10 is a US ground-attack aircraft designed for close air support missions,” intended for operations “particularly against armoured vehicles and ground forces.”
The Iranian theatre is still primarily concerned with the F-15E problem, which led to Ghalibaf’s mockery. One crew member was safely rescued from the aircraft by American forces; he is apparently still alive and being treated in US custody. The second crew member’s fate is still unknown, though, as “search and rescue operations were ongoing.” According to reports, the fallen F-15E, a dual-role aircraft usually flown by a two-person team, was targeted on Friday. The Wall Street Journal quoted Iranian official broadcaster IRIB, which provided a map on X showing the precise area where the search has been conducted, while CNN’s examination of photos made public by Iranian media confirmed that the debris resembled an F-15. CNN geolocated footage from Khuzestan Province showing low-flying planes in a pattern indicative of air-to-air refuelling operations, though the precise crash site is still unknown. This is the first time in the current conflict that a US aircraft has been shot down over Iran. The plane looked to be from the 494th Fighter Squadron, which is headquartered at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, based on photos of debris, including a tail fin. Despite the evidence of the wreckage and the ongoing search, the US military and the White House have not yet officially commented on the circumstances of the crash.
(With Inputs From ANI)
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