TEHRAN — A dramatic escalation unfolded early Wednesday as Iranian air defenses shot down an Israeli F-35 fighter jet near the city of Varamin, southeast of Tehran, according to local authorities, reported by Tehran Times. The jet—part of a broader Israeli military campaign that began in the predawn hours of Friday, June 24—marks the fifth such aircraft downed by Iranian forces since the assault commenced.
Hossein Abassi, governor of Varamin, confirmed the strike, stating that the stealth fighter was intercepted by the Iranian Army’s air defense systems. The official IRNA news agency also reported the incident, underlining Iran’s growing readiness in the face of mounting hostilities.
The downing comes amid rising tensions following a controversial resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors last week. The resolution censured Iran for alleged non-compliance with its nuclear obligations under the now-crumbling 2015 nuclear deal—an agreement the U.S. abandoned in 2018.
In a striking interview aired this week, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour pressed IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on the substance of the claims. Grossi conceded that the agency had found no evidence of Iran pursuing a nuclear weapon in a systematic manner.
“What we reported was that we did not have any proof of a systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon,” Grossi admitted, as Amanpour relayed on her X account.
Shortly after the resolution passed, Israel launched targeted strikes against Iran’s Natanz and Fordo nuclear sites and reportedly assassinated several Iranian military officials and scientists. The sequence of events now appears to be driving both nations closer to the brink of direct conflict.
The international community watches anxiously as the region teeters between diplomacy and war.
