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Iran’s forces were hunting on Saturday for a missing US pilot from one of two warplanes downed over Iran and the Gulf, officials from both sides said, while two airmen were rescued.
The incidents show the risks still facing US and Israeli aircraft over Iran as the war entered its sixth week, despite assertions by President Donald Trump and his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that US forces had total control of the skies.
The prospect of a US service person alive and on the run in Iran raises the stakes for Washington in a conflict with low public support among Americans and no sign of an imminent end.
Tehran mocks Trump’s war aims
Iranian fire brought down a two-seat US F-15E jet, officials in both countries said, while two US officials said the pilot ejected from an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft that crashed in Kuwait after being hit by Iranian fire.
Two Black Hawk helicopters engaged in the search for the missing pilot were hit by Iranian fire but made it out of Iranian airspace, the two US officials told Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was combing a southwestern area near where the pilot’s plane came down, while the regional governor promised a commendation for anyone who captured or killed “forces of the hostile enemy.”
Iranians pummelled by American air power since the US and Israel began their attacks on February 28 celebrated the plane downings. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on X the war had been “downgraded from regime change” to a hunt for pilots.
Trump has been in the White House receiving updates on the rescue effort, a senior administration official told Reuters. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier, Iran has told mediators it is not prepared to meet with US officials in Islamabad in coming days and that efforts led by Pakistan to reach a ceasefire have hit a dead end, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday.
The incidents show the risks still facing US and Israeli aircraft over Iran as the war entered its sixth week, despite assertions by President Donald Trump and his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that US forces had total control of the skies.
The prospect of a US service person alive and on the run in Iran raises the stakes for Washington in a conflict with low public support among Americans and no sign of an imminent end.
Tehran mocks Trump’s war aims
Iranian fire brought down a two-seat US F-15E jet, officials in both countries said, while two US officials said the pilot ejected from an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft that crashed in Kuwait after being hit by Iranian fire.
Two Black Hawk helicopters engaged in the search for the missing pilot were hit by Iranian fire but made it out of Iranian airspace, the two US officials told Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was combing a southwestern area near where the pilot’s plane came down, while the regional governor promised a commendation for anyone who captured or killed “forces of the hostile enemy.”
Iranians pummelled by American air power since the US and Israel began their attacks on February 28 celebrated the plane downings. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on X the war had been “downgraded from regime change” to a hunt for pilots.
Trump has been in the White House receiving updates on the rescue effort, a senior administration official told Reuters. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier, Iran has told mediators it is not prepared to meet with US officials in Islamabad in coming days and that efforts led by Pakistan to reach a ceasefire have hit a dead end, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday.
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