Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that Tehran had “many more surprises” in store for the United States should Washington resume “unprovoked aggression” against the Islamic Republic and cited a congressional report acknowledging significant American air force losses during weeks of conflict.
In a post on X, Araghchi said Iran would unleash those surprises upon aggressors relying on the “lessons learned and knowledge we gained” throughout past confrontations with the US to respond to any future hostilities. He said American lawmakers had effectively confirmed Iran’s military capabilities by acknowledging the scale of material losses sustained during the 40-day campaign.
Araghchi cited a US congressional report stating that American forces lost at least 42 aircraft during the conflict, with estimated losses already reaching approximately USD The 2.6 billion. He added that Iran’s armed forces were “confirmed as the first to strike down a touted F-35.”
A US Congressional report has said that the US military lost or heavily damaged 42 aircraft during a 40-day aerial bombing campaign against Iran, launched jointly by Washington and Israel.
According to the report, destroyed or damaged assets included four F-15E Strike Eagle warplanes, one F-35A Lightning II, one A-10 Thunderbolt II, seven KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft, one E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft, two MC-130J Commando II aircraft, one HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one MQ-4C Triton drone.
The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 that have since paused under a fragile truce brokered by Pakistan on April 7. Iran launched attacks on US military assets in the Gulf nations and moved to tighten control over transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The findings come from a report by the Congressional Research Service released on May 13. It covers losses linked to “Operation Epic Fury”.
The report is the first government-backed assessment to put a full figure on aircraft losses during the conflict. It draws on a mix of Pentagon information and media reporting, and notes that final numbers may change as more data becomes available.
American lawmakers cautioned that the true financial toll could be considerably higher, noting it remained “unclear” whether the Department of Defense had fully accounted for all combat losses. The report warned that long-term replacement costs could exceed USD 7 billion, with some destroyed systems no longer in active production and potentially requiring manufacturing lines to be restarted.
The loss of the E-3 Sentry, the report noted, could force the Pentagon to revive the previously cancelled E-7 Wedgetail replacement programme at an estimated cost of more than $2.5 billion.
The US, in turn, closed Iranian ports, resulting in roiling of global energy markets and contributing to rising fuel prices in the United States, adding to political pressure on President Donald Trump, whose approval ratings have fallen sharply since the start of the conflict.
Trump said on Tuesday he expected to resolve the conflict “very quickly” and predicted oil prices would “plummet” once a deal was reached. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed that Tehran would not yield to escalating US pressure.
