Former TOPGUN pilot declares Iran military 'over with' amid US air superiority, but warns of another danger
Decorated Navy TOPGUN graduate and F/A-18 fighter pilot Matthew "Whiz" Buckley said Tuesday that Iran has "zero" options as U.S. and Israeli strikes continue in Operation Epic Fury — but warned the biggest danger now may be friendly fire amid a complex battle environment.
Given U.S. air superiority, Buckley said on "Fox & Friends First" the Iranian government is backed into a corner.
"They really don't have any options. When you have command of the sky, you can do whatever you want... We have free flow over the airspace, which means we can pick and choose targets at will and not worry about any ground fire," he said, but added that, "the only ground fire we have to worry about is friendly fire."
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Buckley said he was grateful for the safety of the U.S. airmen who had to eject themselves from their F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft after they were mistakenly engaged by allied Kuwaiti air defenses.
"I'm more worried about our own forces than I am the Iranians at this point. It's over with. As far as their air, sea and mainly land powers as well," he said.
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Three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down in a friendly fire incident over Kuwait late Sunday during active combat operations tied to Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The aircraft were taken down by Kuwait amid a complex battle environment that included attacks by Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones.
All six aircrew members safely ejected, were quickly recovered, and are reported to be in stable condition.
Despite the misfire, Buckley expressed confidence in the military's stated objectives of degrading Iran's ballistic missile capability and nuclear program, and said that what happened next would be up to the Iranian people.
The mission also served as a demonstration that, "whether it was the Maduro raid, Operation Midnight Hammer, or Epic Fury, we can project power around the globe and hit our mission objectives extremely quickly," Buckley said.
Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.