The internet erupted after dramatic footage, purportedly showing a United States military aircraft being blasted out of the sky, went viral. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps quickly claimed responsibility for the alleged strike over Chabahar, asserting they had neutralised an American F/A-18 fighter jet and fuelling a wave of speculation and alarm online.
However, military officials in Washington firmly dismissed the narrative as a digital fabrication. The US Central Command issued a definitive fact-check on 25 March to counter spreading rumours regarding their combat fleet.
