Iran Says Over Twenty Planes Attacked by US-Israel Strikes

(MENAFN) Iran’s aviation sector has sustained limited but significant damage following US and Israeli attacks, with officials reporting that more than 20 passenger aircraft were affected.

Maqsoud Asadi Samani, head of the Iranian Airlines Association, pushed back on higher estimates circulating in media reports. He said claims that between 40 and 60 aircraft were damaged “do not reflect reality,” according to Iranian outlets.

He clarified that no more than 20 commercial planes suffered serious damage in the strikes.

Samani added that the country’s airport infrastructure has largely remained intact, noting that roughly 95% of operational capacity was unaffected.

Providing further context, he said Iran’s total passenger fleet numbers between 250 and 300 aircraft. Prior to the attacks, about 150 were actively in service, while the remainder were grounded due to technical issues.

“After removing the damaged aircraft, we now have 130 active planes,” he said.

The damage follows a wave of military operations launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28, which have resulted in more than 3,300 deaths. A temporary two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran took effect on April 8, brokered by Pakistan.

Diplomatic efforts are ongoing, with both sides set to resume negotiations in Islamabad on Tuesday. The upcoming talks follow an earlier round held on April 12 that ended without a breakthrough.

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