CENTCOM cannot deceive the public forever about US military losses: Iran FM

Tehran - BORNA -  In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, Araghchi pointed to the mounting losses of American military aircraft in the ongoing conflict.

"In May, the US Congressional Research Service acknowledged that Iranian armed forces had taken 42 US military aircraft out of service. Now this figure has reached 81. The actual number is far higher," the top Iranian diplomat wrote.

Challenging the official US narrative regarding the status of its regional facilities, Araghchi added: "Proof? CENTCOM does not allow even a single congressional senator to visit and inspect the bases that it claims are in a perfectly normal state."

"You cannot deceive the public forever," he emphasized.

His remarks come in the wake of a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS)—a public policy research institute within the United States Congress—indicating that at least 81 American aircraft, helicopters, and drones have been lost or damaged during aggressive operations against Iran since the war began approximately seven months ago. The estimated financial toll of these equipment losses stands at $3.3 billion.

The CRS report, which was updated this month, noted that the official tally of damaged US military aircraft could still rise as new information and updates are declassified and released.

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