Struck symbol of US arrogance: Iran House Speaker mocks 'downing' of F-35 jet

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf sported a mocking tone as he criticised US military power after Tehran claimed it struck a US F-35 stealth fighter jet during the ongoing Middle East conflict, calling the incident a symbolic blow to Washington’s perceived air dominance and the "collapse of an order".

Reacting to reports of the aircraft being damaged, Ghalibaf mocked the reputation of the F-35 as an "untouchable" platform and framed the episode as a turning point.

"The F-35 was not just a fighter jet but a statue of the US military's invincibility and arrogance. A theological symbol claimed to be invisible to any eye and superior to any power; but the hand of God is above their hands. This symbol was struck for the first time in the world And this was the moment of collapse of an order," he wrote in Persian on X.

His remarks came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its air defence systems had hit and “seriously damaged” the advanced stealth jet during a combat mission over central Iran in the early hours of Thursday.

According to the IRGC, the strike occurred around 2:50 am local time, and while the exact fate of the aircraft remains unclear, it suggested there was a high likelihood of a crash.

Iranian state-linked media circulated footage purportedly showing the moment of impact, with visible flashes, smoke trails and the aircraft veering off mid-air.

The claims, if verified, would mark the first known instance of an F-35 being successfully targeted in combat, a significant development given the aircraft’s role as a cornerstone of US air superiority.

The US has acknowledged that an F-35 was involved in an incident, confirming that the jet made an emergency landing at a military base in the region.

Officials said the pilot was safe and that the situation is under investigation.

However, Washington has downplayed the extent of the damage and has not confirmed that the aircraft was shot down.

The episode comes amid intensifying hostilities between Iran and US-Israeli forces, with both sides targeting military and strategic infrastructure.

Despite US claims that Iranian air defences had been largely neutralised, the reported strike raises questions about the resilience and effectiveness of Tehran’s systems.

Ghalibaf’s remarks also reflect a broader narrative being advanced by Tehran—that the balance of power in the conflict is shifting. His framing of the event as the “collapse of an order” underscores the political and psychological significance Iran is attaching to the episode, beyond its immediate military impact.

As tensions continue to escalate and both sides exchange strikes, the reported F-35 incident is likely to influence strategic calculations in the coming days, with potential implications for air operations, regional stability and the trajectory of the conflict itself.

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