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The U.S. military denied Iranian claims that a missile attack destroyed American F-35 stealth fighters at a Jordanian air base, issuing a point-by-point rebuttal of what it called three false claims by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as Jordan reported downing five Iranian missiles in a fourth straight day of attacks on the kingdom.
The competing accounts, Tehran claiming destroyed jets and dead personnel, Washington asserting every missile and drone was intercepted, could not be independently verified, deepening the information war running alongside the widening U.S.-Iran conflict.
Iran's IRGC claimed it targeted the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, destroying three F-35s and damaging three other aircraft, and said several officers as well as technical and maintenance personnel were killed.
"No U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged in recent attempted Iranian attacks. All missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas," the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement rebutting what it called continuing "false claims" in Iranian state media. CENTCOM did not address the personnel casualty claims.
Earlier Thursday, the Jordanian army said it intercepted and downed five missiles launched from Iran toward the kingdom, the fourth consecutive day of such incidents.
CENTCOM dismissed Iranian state media reports that the oil tanker M/T Nora had broken through the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.
"The commercial vessel has not broken through America's steel wall blockade. More than 20 U.S. warships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members remain vigilant and continue to fully enforce the blockade," the command said.
Responding to the IRGC's renewed assertion that routes through the Strait of Hormuz are dangerous for commercial vessels, CENTCOM said: "The immediate dangers posed to commercial vessels and their civilian crews are the IRGC's verbal threats and attempted attacks."
CENTCOM also posted an audio recording of what it claims to be a radio transmission from Thursday. In the clip, an IRGC operative is reportedly heard warning a commercial vessel that it is in “danger” and orders it to “go back to your departure (point) immediately.”
“If you disobey, you will be targeted and destroyed definitely,” the recording says.
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