Iran Shares Photo of US F-15 Pilot After Jet Crashes in Kuwait, Displays Drone Fleet

The article reports on Iranian state media claims of a US F-15 downing in Kuwait, surrounding drone and missile activity in the Gulf, and the ongoing formation of an interim leadership council amid escalating regional conflict.

Iranian state media on Monday claimed a US F-15 fighter jet was brought down over Kuwait and released a photograph said to show the pilot. The reports came alongside Iranian footage of drone forces and attacks, while officials confirmed dozens of deaths inside Iran and a leadership transition under an interim council.

Regional outlets the same day reported fresh blasts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and loud bangs in Doha, adding to concern about widening conflict. Arab news reports said Iranian missiles and drones also targeted Kuwait and Bahrain, while a witness told Reuters that smoke rose near the US embassy area in Kuwait City.

Iranian state media US F-15 fighter jet Kuwait claim and Gulf strikes

The Kuwait Army earlier announced that the Kuwait Air Defence Force had intercepted threats in its airspace. According to the statement, the force shot down "a number of hostile aerial targets" during the early hours of Monday, local time. Authorities did not immediately link these targets to the US jet that Iranian outlets said was hit.

Iran’s international broadcaster Press TV later posted a photograph on Telegram, describing it as the downed American pilot from the F-15 incident in Kuwait. The caption read, "American pilot after his fighter jet crashed in Kuwait". Iran’s state agency IRNA also released a video clip, which it said showed the moment the aircraft fell.

Sharing the footage, IRNA wrote on social media that, "According to local sources, a US F-15 fighter jet was shot down in the skies above Kuwait earlier on Monday morning". The claim has not been independently verified, and US officials had not issued a detailed public response at the time of the Iranian reports.

Iranian state media US F-15 fighter jet Kuwait coverage and drone footage

PressTV also posted a separate video on X that displayed what it described as Iran’s wide drone arsenal. The sequence then showed Iranian strikes against what the broadcaster called "US-Israeli targets in the region". The timing of these releases suggested an effort to highlight Iran’s military capabilities as tensions in West Asia escalated sharply.

While media carried images and strike videos, Iran’s leadership sought to project a firm political stance. IRNA reported that Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, repeated Tehran’s refusal to enter talks with Washington. Larijani on Monday “firmly rejected that Iran would not negotiate with the United States”, underlining the hard line.

Amid the conflict, IRNA said the second meeting of the Provisional Leadership Council was held with senior figures present. Those attending included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi. The gathering took place as Iran continued to come under attack from US and Israeli forces, according to Iranian descriptions.

The Provisional Leadership Council had been created shortly after Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and several top security officials were killed in what authorities described as ongoing US and Israel attacks. The interim body, which includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, has been tasked with running state affairs until a new supreme leader is chosen.

State media in Iran, quoted by Al Jazeera, reported that at least 201 people had died across 24 provinces during the current wave of attacks. Officials said the council and security bodies would keep operating while the search for a successor to Khamenei continued, even as claims over the F-15 incident and regional strikes added to the sense of crisis.