An American fighter jet was shot down over central Iran on Friday, marking the first known US aircraft loss inside Iranian territory since the outbreak of war more than a month ago. The IRGC Aerospace Force claimed responsibility, stating the jet was destroyed by an advanced air defence system, with debris found in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. US Central Command did not comment, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the president had been briefed. Iranian state television aired footage of wreckage and offered a reward for the capture of surviving pilot(s), while US media reported one of the two crew members had been rescued by American special forces.
The conflict, triggered by US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has escalated across the Middle East, with fresh attacks reported in Israel, Lebanon, Tehran, and Gulf states. In Karaj, west of Tehran, an AFP team observed residential buildings with shattered windows following strikes that Iranian sources say killed 13 civilians. Israel stated it had degraded 70 percent of Iran's steel production and targeted key infrastructure, including Iran's tallest bridge. Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned of intensified attacks on regional energy sites in response to threats by Donald Trump, who called for the destruction of Iran's bridges and power plants via Truth Social.
Emirates Global Aluminium in Abu Dhabi said full operations could take up to a year to restore after Iranian strikes. Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged a peace deal in Foreign Affairs, proposing nuclear limits and reopening the Strait of Hormuz for sanctions relief. Maritime data showed a 94 percent drop in shipping traffic through the strait, though the Maltese-flagged Kribi, owned by French group CMA CGM, made a rare transit. The White House submitted a $1.5 trillion defence budget request, a 42 percent increase, the largest proposed hike since World War II.
The US losing a jet inside Iran signals a dangerous escalation, not just a tactical shift. Trump's call to destroy civilian infrastructure risks deepening a conflict already disrupting global energy flows and commodity markets. With 70 percent of Iran's steel capacity reportedly out and shipping traffic in the Gulf near collapse, the economic fallout extends far beyond the region. For Nigerians, this means pricier fuel and imported goods, not abstract geopolitics — and no say in a war they didn't start.
