Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed it shot down another American F-35 aircraft while it was flying over central Iran.
The war in the Middle East has entered its 35th day, with an intensification of US-backed Israeli strikes. Attacks were reported in Tehran, Karaj, Qom, Bandar Abbas and other parts of Iran, while Iran said it had targeted American installations and Israeli military sites, including an attack with cruise missiles on the Abraham Lincoln fleet and the downing of a fighter aircraft near Qeshm Island.
Social media users and media outlets reported explosions in western Tehran, Malard, Parchin, Karaj, Mehrshahr, Shahriar, Bandar Abbas, Behbahan, Borazjan and Bushehr, while similar reports emerged from Tabriz, Shiraz and Qom.
Since the start of the conflict, 2,076 people have been killed in Iran, more than 26,500 injured, and over 113,000 civilian properties damaged. Around 90,000 houses and 760 educational institutions have been destroyed.
Iranian state-linked media reported that the aircraft was completely destroyed after crashing, and no information was available regarding the pilot. Another report said the intensity of the explosion made survival unlikely. The US Central Command did not immediately comment, though it had earlier rejected similar claims.
The Revolutionary Guards also claimed to have targeted a data centre of the American technology company Oracle in Dubai in response to an alleged assassination attempt on Kamal Kharazi and his wife. Dubai authorities denied the claim.
These developments come amid rising tensions in the region, after Iran earlier issued a list of 18 major American technology and industrial companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing, warning of potential attacks on their installations in the Middle East.
Iran and its allies have exchanged strikes with Israel and the United States, with attacks extending to American-linked installations and civilian infrastructure across the region. The focus of attacks has shifted towards economic and industrial sites, raising fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies.
Iran said its latest wave of strikes targeted sites in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel, in response to earlier US and Israeli attacks on its industrial facilities.
Yemen’s Houthis said they had carried out a fourth missile strike against key Israeli targets, while the Israeli military confirmed intercepting missiles launched from Yemen.
Iran also claimed drone attacks on a US logistics centre in Baghdad and a military base in Jordan. Iraqi security officials reported drones striking near Baghdad International Airport, causing a fire but no casualties. Another drone was shot down nearby.
Iranian forces further claimed a drone strike on the Al-Azraq air base in eastern Jordan, targeting US military aircraft stationed there.
Iran’s state media also reported an attack on an Amazon cloud computing centre in Bahrain.
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