US Congress Report Says 42 Aircraft Lost in Iran War, Trump-Netanyahu Hold Tense Phone Call

An American Congressional Report has claimed that US Air Force lost at least 42 aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, in the Iran war since February 28, 2026. However, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report added a rider that the loss figures were subject to revision due to multiple factors, including classification of the information, ongoing combat activity, and attribution.

The report said among the aircraft loss were four F-15E Strike Eagle, one F-35A Lightning II, one A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft, one E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft, one HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones, and one MQ-4C Triton drone.

The CRS, which provides policy and legal analysis to the US Congress and committees, compiled the losses by perusing news reports and statements by the Department of Defence and the US Central Command.

During a hearing of the House Appropriations subcommittee on May 12, Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules W Hurst III testified that the department’s cost estimate for military operations in Iran has increased to $29 billion. “A lot of that increase comes from having a refined estimate on repair or replacement costs for equipment,” he said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a tense phone call over the future course of the war on Iran as Washington appeared to be in favour of a deal instead of the resumption of strikes.

After the Tuesday (May 19) phone call with Trump, Netanyahu’s “hair was on fire”, US media outlet Axios reported on Wednesday (May 20), adding that the Israeli Prime Minister was keen on the resumption of strikes to further degrade Iran’s military capabilities and weaken the regime by destroying its critical infrastructure.

Trump on Sunday (May 17) said he had put-off strikes on Iran, planned for Tuesday (May 19) , following a request from Arab nations including Qatar and the UAE. A revised peace memo was drafted by Qatar and Pakistan with input from the other regional mediators to try to bridge the gaps between the US and Iran.

Netanyahu is highly sceptical about the negotiations and wants to resume the war to further degrade Iran’s military capabilities and weaken the regime by destroying its critical infrastructure. Trump continues to say he thinks a deal can be reached, but that he’s ready to resume the war if it isn’t.

“The only question is, do we go and finish it up, or are they gonna be signing a document. Let’s see what happens,” Trump said on Wednesday (May 20) at the Coast Guard Academy.

Later, he said the US and Iran were “right on the borderline” between getting a deal and resuming the war. “It’s right on the borderline, believe me. If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go. We have to get the right answers. It would have to be a complete 100% good answers,” Trump told reporters after he returned to Washington from Connecticut.

There is a strong desire in the upper echelons of the Israeli government for renewed military action, CNN reported, quoting an Israeli source, and mounting frustration that Trump is continuing to allow what they say is Iran’s diplomatic foot-dragging.

Trump also said Netanyahu “will do whatever I want him to do” on Iran, though he also said they had a good relationship. Iran has confirmed it’s reviewing an updated proposal, but has not yet shown any signs of flexibility.

Iran’s foreign ministry said Wednesday (May 20) that negotiations were ongoing “based on Iran’s 14-point proposal,” and that Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran to help the mediation. Trump told Netanyahu that the mediators were working on a “letter of intent” that both the US and Iran would sign to formally end the war and launch a 30-day period of negotiations on issues like Iran’s nuclear programme and opening of the Strait of Hormuz.