Tehran: Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticised US military power after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed striking a US F-35 stealth fighter jet during the ongoing war and conflict in the Middle East.
Ghalibaf said the incident was a symbolic blow to Washington’s perceived air dominance and the “collapse of an order”.
“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,” the Speaker wrote in Persian on X.
IRGC said its air defence systems had hit and “seriously damaged” the stealth jet during a combat mission over central Iran in the early hours of Thursday.
The strike occurred around 2.50 am local time, IRGC said. Though the fate of the aircraft is unclear, IRGC suggested there was a high likelihood of a crash.
Ghalibaf issued a stern warning against potential attacks on the country’s power plants, pledging immediate retaliatory action targeting energy and oil infrastructure across the region.
“Immediately after the power stations and infrastructure in our country are targeted, the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be deemed legitimate targets,” Ghalibaf said in a statement on X.
These targets “will be destroyed in an irreversible manner,” he added, warning that “the price of oil will remain elevated for a long time.”
The warning came in response to Trump’s Saturday post on Truth Social, in which he insisted on unrestricted navigation at the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. He cautioned that America would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants, “starting with the biggest one first,” should threats persist.
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