Iran claims it shot down advanced warplane near Qeshm Island

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Thursday that it successfully downed an advanced military aircraft belonging to either the United States or Israel near the strategic island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf. In a statement carried by local media, the IRGC said its air defense units “intercepted an advanced warplane” in waters south of the island. The aircraft then crashed into the Gulf, according to the statement, which provided no further details on the type of plane or the fate of its crew.

State TV airs footage of strike

Iranian state television broadcast video footage that it said showed the moment the warplane was hit. The report did not independently verify the authenticity of the footage, but the claim comes amid heightened military activity in the Gulf region. Qeshm Island, located near the Strait of Hormuz, holds strategic importance due to its proximity to key shipping lanes through which a fifth of global oil passes daily.

Escalating conflict in the Gulf

The downing claim follows weeks of intense hostilities since the US and Israel launched a joint air offensive against Iran on February 28. That campaign has killed more than 1,340 people, including Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states hosting US military assets. For Türkiye, which relies heavily on Gulf energy imports and maintains close trade ties with both Iran and Western allies, any further military escalation in the Persian Gulf raises serious concerns about regional stability and energy security. Ankara has repeatedly called for restraint and a return to diplomacy.