IRGC claims multiple American aircraft destroyed during rescue mission

WEB DESK: The Middle East stands on the precipice of a wider conflagration following a high-stakes American commando operation inside Iran, as Tehran claims to have downed several US aircraft while President Donald Trump issues a final “hellish” ultimatum over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that its forces successfully targeted and destroyed two American C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters in the southern Isfahan province.

According to Iranian state television, which broadcasted footage of charred wreckage, the aircraft were intercepted during a mission to extract a US F-15 airman downed behind enemy lines last week.

While the Pentagon acknowledged “technical malfunctions” affecting two transport vessels during the extraction, it maintained that all personnel were safely evacuated, averting a potential hostage crisis that has loomed over the five-week-old conflict.

Trump issues ‘Hellish’ ultimatum as oil markets shudder

The military escalation coincides with a sharp hardening of rhetoric from Washington. President Trump, utilizing a series of incendiary social media posts, warned the Iranian leadership that they would be “living in Hell” if the Strait of Hormuz a primary artery for global oil flows is not reopened by Tuesday.

With crude prices surging toward $120 per barrel, the President vowed to pivot from military targets to Iran’s civilian infrastructure, specifically threatening power plants and bridges.

This “ultimatum diplomacy” has drawn sharp rebukes from Tehran, where Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei labelled the threats as “incitement for war crimes,” while critics in Washington question the legality of targeting non-military facilities.

Regional escalation and the failure of diplomacy

Beyond the immediate rescue site, the theatre of war has expanded into a devastating tit-for-tat campaign across the Gulf. Iranian forces claimed to have downed two MQ-9 Reaper drones and several Israeli Hermes 900 UAVs in retaliation for recent air strikes.

Simultaneously, Tehran has extended its reach to neighbouring Gulf states, launching missile and drone swarms at energy and desalination plants in Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE.

Despite calls for a ceasefire from China and Russia with Sergey Lavrov urging the US to abandon the “language of ultimatums” Tehran remains defiant.

Iranian officials have suggested the Strait of Hormuz will only reopen if transit revenues are diverted to compensate for war damages, a condition likely to be rejected by the West as the region braces for Tuesday’s deadline.