ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran has rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire, an informed source told the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) news agency on Friday. The proposal was conveyed to Tehran via a friendly country, but Iran decided not to respond in writing.
“Assessments indicate that the proposal came after an escalation of the crisis in the region and serious difficulties faced by U.S. military forces, following a miscalculation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s military capabilities,” the IRGC Farsnews reported. “According to the report, Iran’s response to the proposal was not delivered in writing, but rather through actions on the ground, continuing heavy attacks.”
The revelation came on Friday as news spread that a US F-15 fighter jet had been shot down by the IRGC in the south of the country. US forces launched a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operation and rescued one crew member alive, American media reported, citing US officials. The fate of the second crew member remains unknown.
The New York Times also reported that a second US military jet, believed to be an A-10 Warthog, went down in the Persian Gulf around the same time as the F-15, and the pilot was safely rescued.
US and Israeli aircraft carried out numerous sorties on Friday, striking dozens of targets across Iran, including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and areas near the Persian Gulf.
Iranian state media also reported that Shahid Beheshti University, a prominent university in Tehran, was among the targets on Friday.
The development comes as the Iran-Israel-US war entered day 34 on Friday, after Washington and Tel Aviv launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran on February 28.
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Thursday that its forces have struck more than 12,300 targets across the country since the start of the joint operation. The command further added that over 155 Iranian vessels have been damaged or destroyed.
State media reported on Friday that the death toll from a deadly strike on the B-1 Bridge in Karaj, west of the capital, had risen from 8 to 13, with close to 100 people wounded.
In response, Tehran has carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets in the region - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
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