A US service member who went missing after an F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran has been rescued, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday. The airman, identified by US officials as the jet’s weapons systems officer with the rank of colonel, was injured but ‘‘will be just fine,’’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. A second crew member from the same aircraft had been rescued earlier.
US media and officials described a large, intensive search-and-rescue operation that involved dozens of special forces personnel, including reports of involvement by Navy SEAL Team 6, and scores of warplanes and helicopters. According to US accounts, attack aircraft provided overwatch and support while commandos engaged in firefights with Iranian forces on the ground. The recovered airman is said to have evaded capture for more than a day after ejecting and to have carried a beacon, a secure communications device, and a pistol to aid coordination with rescuers.
US reports also said two transport aircraft intended to help extract the airman were unable to take off from a remote Iranian base; those aircraft were reportedly destroyed by US forces to prevent their capture, after which three other transport planes were used. Some US officials said the rescued crew member was flown to Kuwait for medical treatment.
Iranian authorities have disputed key elements of the US account. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and other official outlets said their forces had destroyed US and Israeli aircraft involved in the operation. State-linked Tasnim news agency quoted the Guards as saying a joint air, ground, paramilitary and police operation had destroyed ‘‘enemy aircraft.’’ Iranian statements named a US C-130 transport and two Black Hawk helicopters as downed in southern Isfahan province, and Iran’s police command said it had shot down an Israeli drone. Iran’s central military command said the US operation had been ‘‘foiled.’’
US and Iranian versions also conflict over casualties and equipment losses. The US maintains the rescues were completed without US casualties and has highlighted the show of air power; Iranian media released images purportedly showing fragments from the downed F-15E. Independent verification of the competing claims was limited at the time of the reports.
Background and wider context
The incident occurred amid a sharp increase in hostilities in the region. News reports said the F-15E and an A-10 Warthog were shot down on Friday, marking the first US aircraft losses since a wider US-Israeli campaign against Iran intensified in recent weeks. Those reports linked the escalation to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an earlier US-Israeli strike, after which Iran and Iran-backed groups reportedly struck targets across the Gulf and beyond in retaliation for sustained US and Israeli strikes.
The downing and subsequent rescue operation have raised tensions across the Gulf. In the run-up to the events, President Trump warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face ‘‘devastating consequences.’’ Tehran had closed much of the strait to most shipping in response to the strikes, prompting global energy market concerns and urgent diplomatic contacts.
Regional incidents and diplomacy
– Oman and Iran held talks intended to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz; Oman has previously acted as a mediator between the US and Iran.
– Kuwait reported ‘‘severe’’ damage after Iranian drones struck energy facilities and a Finance Ministry building; authorities said air defences were active and no immediate injuries were reported.
– The United Arab Emirates suspended operations at a Borouge petrochemical plant after fires attributed to debris from intercepted missiles or drones.
– Fighting in Lebanon escalated: Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon reportedly killed civilians, while Hezbollah claimed rocket attacks on northern Israel and said it had targeted an Israeli warship.
– Egypt engaged in calls with US and regional counterparts, and mediators from Turkey and Pakistan, to discuss de-escalation; officials warned of an ‘‘unprecedented explosion’’ in the Middle East if tensions continue.
– Iran said it would allow Iraqi shipping to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions.
Operational and intelligence notes
Media reports said US forces used deception and other operational measures inside Iran to mislead Iranian authorities about the airman’s location and facilitate the extraction. Iranian authorities reportedly offered a bounty for information on the missing service member. Both sides have released statements and images to support their versions of events, but many claims remained unverified by independent sources.
Humanitarian and geopolitical consequences
The exchanges of strikes and counterstrikes have damaged civilian infrastructure and petrochemical facilities, disrupted industrial operations and shipping, and contributed to civilian casualties and displacement in parts of the region, notably Lebanon. International and regional mediators — including officials from Oman, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan — are working to prevent further escalation as deadlines and ultimatums increase pressure on all parties.
The situation remains fluid, with competing narratives from Tehran and Washington and ongoing military and diplomatic developments across the Gulf and Levant.