Iran shoots down U.S. F-15 fighter in humiliation for Trump

April 3 (DAILY BEAST) - Iran claims it has shot down an American fighter jet over the country for the first time, according to its own media and a source who confirmed it to a well-connected Israeli American journalist.

Pictures circulating online showed parts of what appear to be an F-15E, and of USAF aircraft, which specialize in combat rescues flying low over south-west Iran.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was first to claim that had it downed an “enemy” fighter jet over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

The downing, although not the location, was then confirmed by Axios’ Barak Ravid, who has close connections at the top of the Israeli government, and in Washington D.C., who credited “a source familiar with the incident.”

Iranian state-run media also aired footage on Friday of a female anchor calling on civilians to help capture pilots of an American F-15E Strike Eagle that the regime claims was allegedly shot down over Southern Iran.

If confirmed, the attack would be the first time since the beginning of the war that a U.S. jet was downed by enemy fire.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Pentagon, but they are yet to comment on the report.

Central Command, which has operational control of the war, had denied a claim of a fighter being shot down almost 24 hours earlier, saying all U.S. planes were accounted for.

But that was hours before pictures of parts of an F-15, and an apparent rescue mission, circulated.

The news comes despite Donald Trump repeatedly insisting the U.S. has already “decimated” Iran’s military capabilities.

In a White House address this week, Trump also said the war was “nearing completion” and that U.S. strikes had achieved most of their objectives.

But events on the ground suggest a far more volatile reality.

In recent days, Trump has escalated further, vowing to expand attacks on Iranian infrastructure—including bridges, power facilities, and other strategic targets—if Tehran does not yield.

“Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” Trump wrote overnight.

“Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants! New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and it has to be done FAST!”

Iran, for its part, has retaliated with drone and missile strikes across the Gulf, targeting energy and water facilities in neighboring countries and warning of broader regional consequences.