The United States faked the rescue of the American pilot who was shot down over Iran, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi claimed during an interview with the official news agency IRNA on Tuesday.
Mohebbi called the rescue saga “Hollywood propaganda,” alleging it was not the first time the US had done so.
He pointed to what he claimed were inconsistencies in the narrative, saying that the pilot could not have survived a fall at 160 kph without a parachute as the US said.
“What is certain is that we hit an American fighter jet and it crashed,” Mohebbi said. “At such a height and speed and with such a weight, along with the weight of the parachute and the equipment they usually carry, this pilot’s back could only be broken!”
Explaining why the US would invent such a story, Mohebbi claimed it was to preserve their reputation.
“They want to recreate their power, to say that we have the power that if one of our pilots is in such a situation, we have the ability to save him.”
He also challenged the US to showcase its power in a different way.
“Use this power that you use to show the rescue of a pilot to show the openness of the Strait of Hormuz, why don’t you do this?” he said.
Iran shot down a US F-15 in April, with one of the pilots being rescued only a few days after the crash.
US pilot shares story of crash in Iran, rescue
The pilot, identified only by his mission callsign, “Bravo,” shared the details of his rescue on CBS’s 60 Minutes earlier this month.
“My parachute was damaged in the initial attack. At one point, when I looked up and saw no parachute, that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. So I paused right then, and I prayed, ‘Lord, you will be done. But if I’m getting through this, I need help,'” Bravo said.
Bravo broke his back, arm, and shoulder, as well as suffering a sprained ankle and bleeding from lesions across his head and face caused by the incredibly hard landing, according to CBS.
Almost immediately following the crash, Iranian media announced a bounty for the capture.
Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.
