Yossi Schwartz ISL(The RCIT section in Israel/occupied Palestine) 22.05.2026
Iran is not Venezuela – the attack on Iran has costed dearly to the American air force. According to Ynet[i] , the United States lost 42 warplanes.
Forty-two U.S. Air Force aircraft were lost or damaged in the war in Iran, including 24 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, which a senior U.S. Air Force official called “our MVP.” This is according to a report presented to Congress, while the possibility of resumption of hostilities still exists, despite the Saudi report on the terms of the draft agreement between Iran and the United States.
Negotiations have continued in the meantime, and on Friday afternoon, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Pakistani Chief of Staff Asim Munir, who is leading the mediation efforts, will arrive in Tehran. At the same time, Reuters reported that Qatar had also sent a team to Tehran in an attempt to reach an agreement between Washington and Tehran, in coordination with the United States.
It seems that Trump is very interested in an agreement with Iran, although the possibility that this is a cover of Esau should not be ruled out in order to conceal the preparations for the resumption of the war.
“The report presented to Congress, the details of which were published in the Daily Mail, showed that at least 42 aircraft have been destroyed since the beginning of the war on February 28, including 24 of the advanced UAVs, with an estimated value of about $30 million per unit. In addition to them, another UAV also crashed. MQ-4C. In addition, the Americans lost four F-15E fighter jets, including three shot down by Kuwaiti air defense systems in a friendly fire incident on March 1, the second day of the war. Each aircraft is worth $300 million.
The fourth F-15 was shot down by Iranian forces on April 3, leading to the rescue of the pilot and navigator, which US President Donald Trump called “the most daring operation in the history of the United States.”
Two MC-130J Commando IIs, a special version of the Super Hercules used for covert operations, were destroyed on the ground in Iran during this rescue operation, after they did not take off. An A-10 attack aircraft was shot down by Iranian fire in the same operation. In addition, a US Air Force KC-135 refueling plane crashed in Iraq on March 12, killing all six crew members.
Ten planes were damaged during the war, including six parked on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia, where the Iranians launched missiles and drones. The HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter was also damaged by small arms fire during the rescue operation of the downed F-15E. In addition, the report presented to Congress notes that an F-35A stealth aircraft was damaged in Iranian airspace.
Other reports indicate that the real losses are even higher, as four Little Bird helicopters of special units — which according to ABC were also destroyed in the same rescue operation — do not appear in the report presented to Congress. At a congressional hearing last week, the Pentagon’s comptroller testified that the cost of the war had reached $29 billion.
The loss of the 24 UAVs led the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of Rippers to about 135 aircraft, 54 below the threshold set for years of 189 Ripper UAVs. Filling in the blanks will not be easy. General Atomics, which made the UAV, shut down its production line last year after the U.S. Air Force announced it would stop buying the UAV, and a representative of the company said it had fewer than 10 MQ-9s left for sale.
U.S. Air Force commanders have asked for $5 billion for the F-47, which Boeing announced last year by U.S. President Donald Trump. The deal will lead to the development of a sixth-generation stealth fighter jet, which is expected to enter service in the next decade.
Trump called the F-47 “the deadliest aircraft ever built.” He said the stealth planes of this type “will have unprecedented power” and that “America’s enemies will never see them coming.” He revealed at the time that “an experimental version of the plane has been flying secretly for nearly five years, and we believe it significantly surpasses the capabilities of any other nation.
Maybe it’s true, or maybe it’s another lie, and Trump is competing with Netanyahu, who will lie more.
Leftists, especially those who identify with the Palestinians, have an interest in a military victory by Iran, as it is not the nature of the reactionary regime that determines but the class character of the warring parties. While Israel is an imperialist state with an apartheid regime, and the United States is an imperialist state in decline, Iran is a semi-colony of what is sometimes called a third world country. A victory by the imperialist side leads to political depression, while a victory by a semi-colony encourages resistance to imperialist oppression and exploitation. Since the regime in Iran is reactionary and oppressive, it should not be supported politically. However, only the masses of Iranians have the right to expel them. He came to power because of the hatred of the masses for the Shah and the Left (Todeh – the Communist Party) and the JIAD supported Khomeini instead of leading a socialist revolution. In doing so, they diverted the mass struggle to subdue him in the service of the mullahs. The same policy enabled the military coup led by Sisi and also led to support for Assad the butcher on the false claim that his regime was anti-imperialist and that Russia was not imperialist.
Endnotes:
[i] https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sy6q6y61mg