Vetted by NeuralPress's Multi-Agent Verifier for strict factual validity and event relevance. Our compliance engine cross-checks and filters search results to ensure zero false correlations or misleading content.
Primary Sources
Iran says it downed two US jets as search for one pilot continues
Trump says downing of F-15 will not affect talks as Iranian forces say they also struck an A-10 aircraft near Hormuz.Iranian forces have said they struck down two fighter jets belonging to the United States military, one over the southwest part of the country and another around the Strait of Hormuz.A spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said on Friday that air defences completely destroyed one F-15 jet. Later in the day, the Iranian military said it targeted an A-10 US aircraft that crashed into the Gulf.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Kuwait desalination plant, oil refinery hit by missile and drone strikeslist 2 of 3How Israel is destroying healthcare infrastructure in southern Lebanonlist 3 of 3Iran condemns US-Israeli ‘moral collapse’ after attacks on civilian sitesend of listThe New York Times had cited unidentified officials as saying that the A10’s pilot was safe after the crash.But the fate of at least one pilot from the downed F-15 crew is unknown. Several US media outlets reported that one crew member of the jet was located and rescued by US forces, but the other remains missing.US President Donald Trump told NBC News on Friday that the downing of the jet will not affect the prospect of talks with Tehran. “No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war,” he said.State media outlets in Iran showed photos of the wreckage of the F-15 jet and what appears to be an ejection seat with an attached parachute.After the jet was downed, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf mocked Trump’s repeated claims of victory in the war.“After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?'” Ghalibaf wrote in a social media post.There was no immediate comment on the incident from the Pentagon and US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East and much of Asia.After past Iranian claims of downing US jets, CENTCOM has been quick to deny the reports.Iranian officials called on civilians to be on the lookout for survivors. The governor of Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said whoever captured the crew “would be specially commended”, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA.Several US politicians acknowledged reports of the downed jet and expressed support for the US military.“I’m praying for the safe return of the crew aboar...
One Rescued From U.S. Jet Shot Down in Iran, U.S. Officials Say
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The fate of the plane’s crew was unclear, as American officials scrambled to mount a search and rescue operation.Listen · 5:46 min A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet taking off from RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom in 2020.Credit...Chris Radburn/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesApril 3, 2026Updated 5:56 p.m. ETAmerican forces rescued an airman whose F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran, but the uncertain fate of a second crew member prompted a risky search operation in the country, U.S. and Israeli officials said on Friday.Another U.S. Air Force combat plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region at about the same time the F-15E was shot down, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. The lone pilot in that plane, an A-10 Warthog, was rescued. The officials provided scant details about the A-10 crash, including how and where it happened beyond saying it was near the Strait of Hormuz.President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have boasted in recent days that U.S. and Israeli strikes have decimated the Iranian regime and military. Mr. Hegseth said earlier this week that the United States had achieved such control of Iran’s skies that it was flying B-52 bombers directly over Iranian territory for the first time since the war began.But the downing of the F-15E and the damage to the A-10 underscores how a weakened Iranian military can still fight back with a limited but still lethal arsenal of missiles and drones.The loss of the F-15E Strike Eagle is the first known instance of an American combat aircraft going down in hostile territory in the monthlong U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. Three Air Force F-15Es were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2, and all six crew members in that episode ejected safely.The U.S. military’s Central Command keeps multiple task forces set up near Iran for search and rescue operations in the event that American warplanes are shot down, including in both Iraq and Syria, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share operational details.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber...
US fighter jet down in Iran: 1 crew member rescued as search continues ...
US fighter jet down in Iran: 1 crew member rescued as search continues, officials say Trump, just days ago, had said Tehran had "no anti-aircraft equipment."
U.S. F-15E fighter jet shot down over Iran, search and rescue mission ...
U.S. forces were searching for an F-15E crew member after a two-seater fighter jet went down over Iran, a U.S. official said Friday.
