Tehran, October 8 (Daily Kiran) : Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the United States of concealing the actual figures related to military casualties. In a statement made on Thursday, he asserted that the true number of losses is significantly higher than what has been publicly reported.
Sharing a post from Central Command (CENTCOM) on the social media platform X, Araghchi claimed that the number of U.S. soldier fatalities and damage to military assets is “much greater” than official figures indicate. He referenced a statement from the Congressional Research Service, which had previously reported that Iranian forces had destroyed 42 U.S. military aircraft, a figure he now claims has risen to 81.
Elaborating on his accusations, Araghchi stated, “The actual losses are far beyond this. Evidence? CENTCOM will not allow any sitting senator to inspect the bases it claims are operational.” He pointedly reminded U.S. officials, “You can fool some people for a while.”
This critique appears to be a response to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who recently stated that the Pentagon and CENTCOM denied him access to inspect the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Accompanying his post, Araghchi shared the title of a report from the Congressional Research Service: “Combat Losses of U.S. Aircraft in Operation Epic Fury: Congressional Consideration.” The report noted that from February 28, a total of 81 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems, were either destroyed or damaged in the conflict against Iran.
The report’s findings were compiled from news articles, statements from the U.S. Department of Defense, CENTCOM, and investigations by the Defense Department’s Inspector General, with a caveat that these figures may change over time.
Leave a Comment