Tehran, March 1 : Iran on Monday claimed that a US F-15 fighter jet had crashed in Kuwait, with videos circulating on social media purportedly showing an American pilot ejecting seconds before the aircraft went down.

Footage widely shared online appears to capture a parachute descending from the sky, while other clips carried by local media outlets show what is believed to be the US pilot on the ground after ejecting from the jet.

The authenticity of the videos has not been independently verified. However, Iranian state-affiliated media, including the Tasnim News Agency, confirmed it.

There was no immediate official statement from the United States regarding the cause of the crash or the condition of the crew.

It also remained unclear whether the aircraft was engaged in a combat operation linked to the ongoing hostilities or conducting a routine training sortie at the time of the incident.

Further clarification is awaited from both the US and Kuwaiti authorities.

The latest development comes amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East that erupted following joint US-Israel strikes on Iran, aimed at degrading Tehranâ??s missile capabilities and broader military infrastructure.

The opening wave of the operation reportedly killed senior figures in the Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a sweeping response from Tehran in the form of drone and missile attacks targeting US assets, regional capitals and allied forces across the Gulf.

Iranâ??s retaliatory strikes have spanned several countries, with missiles and drones intercepted over Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, prompting temporary airspace closures and resulting in both military and civilian casualties.

The intensifying confrontation has seen US forces launch counter-strikes, including naval operations, marking one of the most severe and sustained face-offs between Washington and Tehran in decades.

/IANS