In a message posted on his X account, Qalibaf responded to recent remarks by the US military’s top general, saying what had previously been “pure nightmare fuel” has now become a reality.

“The era when your F-35s and F-15s get hunted down and you have to report them damaged🤏 has already begun,” Qalibaf wrote.

“What was once pure nightmare fuel is now the daily reality. Live with it,” he reminded the US officials.

His message came after Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said in a keynote speech at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference that US military formations must now be prepared to be “hunted” by autonomous systems, subjected to electronic jamming and tracked in real time.

Caine said the US military must adapt its forces and capabilities to be prepared for future wars and provide the 2.8 million-member all-volunteer joint force with the tools needed to fight and prevail.