US President Donald Trump has repeatedly referenced the number of fighter jets shot down (something India hasn’t officially acknowledged or commented on) during the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, often citing vague figures ranging from five to seven aircraft, but has made no comparable public remarks following recent Pentagon disclosures detailing far larger American losses during the ongoing war with Iran.
Over the past year, Trump has brought up the India-Pakistan clash on multiple occasions while discussing his claimed role in brokering the ceasefire between the two countries. At a White House dinner with Republican senators, he said, “In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually,” without specifying which side’s aircraft he meant.
Months later, speaking to business leaders in Tokyo, he raised the figure again, describing “seven brand-new, beautiful planes” as having been shot down during the conflict.
India has consistently pushed back on Trump’s broader claims about the episode, with New Delhi maintaining that the ceasefire was reached bilaterally with Pakistan following direct military talks, and Indian officials, including the Air Force chief, dismissing Pakistani claims about the scale of Indian losses.
Now, by contrast, separate US government reports detailing American aircraft losses in the ongoing conflict with Iran have drawn comparatively muted public comment from Trump himself. A Congressional Research Service analysis released earlier this year found that at least 42 US military aircraft had been lost or damaged since the war with Iran began, a tally that included an A-10 Thunderbolt II, two MC-130J special operations aircraft destroyed on the ground, and a KC-135 refuelling tanker crash that killed all six crew members.
A more recent Pentagon inspector general report, covering the period through June 30, raised the figure further, confirming that dozens of aircraft, including at least 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, had been destroyed or damaged, alongside hundreds of damaged buildings and structures at US bases across the Gulf region.
Officials have also disclosed that the conflict has cost more than $37 billion so far, with the Pentagon acknowledging strategic shortfalls in advanced munitions stockpiles.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, publicly seized on the Congressional Research Service findings, describing them on social media as an acknowledgment by the US Congress that Iran had gained valuable operational experience during the conflict.
Trump has not addressed the scale of American aircraft losses in Iran with the same frequency or specificity he has applied to his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict, a contrast that has drawn attention given how often he has cited the latter figures publicly over the past year.
