Iran Says Era of Hunting US F-35 and F-15 Jets Has Begun, Ghalibaf

TEHRAN: Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said the era in which advanced American fighter jets such as the F-35 and F-15 could be targeted and damaged has begun, arguing that recent losses have changed the battlefield environment.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf said US forces would now have to report damage to their advanced fighter aircraft, describing what he called a former “nightmare” as a new daily reality.

Ghalibaf’s remarks came after the release of a US Department of Defense Inspector General report on Operation Epic Fury, covering military operations through June 30, 2026.

The report documents significant US aircraft losses and damage during the conflict. According to its findings, four F-15E aircraft were destroyed, while an F-35A was damaged by enemy fire while operating over Iran. The report also records losses involving KC-135 tanker aircraft and MQ-9 Reaper drones.

The reported F-15E losses included aircraft lost in both friendly-fire incidents and enemy action, meaning the figures do not establish that all four were destroyed by Iranian fire.

The Pentagon Inspector General’s assessment also revealed the enormous financial cost of the first four months of Operation Epic Fury.

The United States spent approximately $33.4 billion between February 28 and June 30, including around $22.3 billion on munitions.

The report warned that the high level of weapons consumption had produced strategic inventory shortfalls and exposed bottlenecks in the US defence industrial base that could complicate efforts to replenish critical munitions.

The Inspector General’s report also recorded the destruction of as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the operation.

The losses have added to concerns about the availability of high-value surveillance and strike platforms and the ability of the US military to sustain prolonged operations while replacing sophisticated equipment.

Ghalibaf linked the reported damage to US aircraft with what he described as a fundamental change in the balance of the battlefield.

He said American forces could no longer regard their advanced aircraft as beyond the reach of Iranian attacks and argued that Washington was increasingly being forced to acknowledge damage to its military assets.

His comments were made in response to remarks by US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, who recently warned that American military formations must assume they could be tracked, jammed and targeted by autonomous systems in future conflicts.

The US Inspector General’s report provides official documentation of substantial equipment losses, although the circumstances varied and included enemy action, friendly fire and accidents.

Iran has used the findings to highlight the impact of its retaliatory attacks and challenge portrayals of its military capabilities.

The United States, meanwhile, has acknowledged the reported equipment losses while continuing to assess the operational and logistical consequences of the conflict.

The latest exchange underscores the continuing military and information confrontation between Tehran and Washington, with both sides presenting competing interpretations of the battlefield developments.