US Jets At Risk, Report: Tehran Has Mapped US Flight Patterns in Iranian Airspace

Tehran — An Iranian military commander is believed to have mapped the flight patterns of U.S. fighter jets and bomber aircraft over Iranian airspace. The development increases the risk should U.S. President Donald Trump decide to restart hostilities against Iran, according to an American official who spoke to The New York Times. Iran’s air defence status is a key component as Trump weighs whether to proceed with an attack on Iran. Trump said on Monday that the U.S. would continue strikes on Iran on Tuesday. But he decided not to do so, due to lobbying by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. ‘We were prepared to carry out a major attack tomorrow, and I postponed it for a while, hopefully forever, but perhaps for a while, because we have had extensive discussions with Iran, and we will see the results,’ Trump told reporters. Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have repeatedly claimed that the Iranian military is crippled and without air defences. Although the U.S. is generally capable of carrying out air strikes in Iranian airspace, it does not enjoy total dominance. Shoot-down of aircraft A few days before the U.S. and Iran reached a fragile ceasefire, Iran shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, triggering a major rescue operation by the U.S. for its pilots. ‘If Iran can capture that U.S. pilot alive, it would put enormous pressure on Washington,’ experts said.