Washington, D.C.
Iran shoots down US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet – Pilot still missing
The search for the pilot of the downed US fighter jet enters its second day.
An F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iran. Search and rescue efforts have so far recovered one of the two crew members who ejected, according to a government official.
This is the first incident in decades in US history involving the downing of an F-15E jet.
Donald Trump, whose war with Iran began almost five weeks ago, said on March 25 in the Oval Office that the Iranian military had been defeated to the point that “we literally have planes flying over Tehran and other parts of their country. They can’t do anything about it.”
The search for the pilot of the fighter jet shot down over Iran entered its second day on Saturday, while Iranian officials denied reports that the American crew member had been detained.
U.S. forces rescued the pilot of an F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down over Iran on Friday. The second crew member remains missing.
Two Blackhawk helicopters participating in the search were hit by Iranian military forces but managed to escape Iranian airspace, according to two government officials. In a separate incident, an A-10 Warthog fighter jet was hit and crashed over Kuwait, with the pilot ejecting, officials said. The extent of injuries among the aircraft’s crew is unknown.
On Friday, Iranian authorities issued a public appeal to the local population to help find the American crew member, offering a reward equivalent to $60,000, according to official and semi-official Iranian media. On Saturday, local Iranian officials in one of the southern provinces and the regional leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied reports that the second pilot had been found and detained, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr.
Iranian media posted images on Telegram purportedly showing wreckage from the downed F-15E. The Pentagon has not confirmed the loss of the aircraft. In a brief phone call on Friday, President Trump declined to comment on the details of the rescue operation. When asked whether the downing of the plane would negatively affect negotiations to end the war, the president replied, “No, not at all. No, it’s war.” However, on Saturday he appeared to remind Iran of the looming deadline to meet the administration’s demands. “Remember when I gave Iran 10 days to make a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz?” he said. “Time is running out: 48 hours before all hell breaks loose on them.” He also made references to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial Middle Eastern waterway for global oil exports.
Friday’s incident reignited scrutiny of Trump’s repeated claims that the U.S. and Israeli militaries have annihilated Iran’s missile capabilities and completely control its airspace. On Saturday, Iranian officials appeared to directly acknowledge the challenge.
“The enemy must know that we possess advanced air defense systems developed by the talented and distinguished youth of this country, which are being deployed one after another under real operational conditions,” an Iranian military spokesman said in a statement Saturday. “We will undoubtedly achieve total control of our airspace and further demonstrate the enemy’s weakness and humiliation to the world.”
Trump claimed Wednesday in a nationally televised address that the war would end in about two to three weeks, while threatening to reduce Iran to the Stone Age if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz. The US military simultaneously mobilized thousands of additional troops to the region.
Iran maintains that there will be no direct negotiations with its US counterparts. The United States and Israel have eliminated much of the Iranian government and military leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, raising questions about who would lead negotiations on Iran’s behalf.
