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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Shoots Down US F-15E; Rescue Mission Underway

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Shoots Down US F-15E; Rescue Mission Underway
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A U.S. Air Force F‑15E Strike Eagle was shot down over central Iran on Friday, in the first confirmed loss of a U.S. manned combat jet to enemy fire since the Iran war began five weeks ago, U.S. officials said nytimes +1. One of the aircraft’s two crew members was rescued by American special forces, while an urgent race continued between U.S. and Iranian units to find the second axios +1.

The incident occurred amid an intensive U.S.-Israeli air campaign targeting Iranian military and energy infrastructure and Iranian strikes on Gulf states and shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media and the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) quickly claimed responsibility, circulated images of wreckage, and initially asserted they had downed an F‑35 stealth jet; U.S. and independent analysts identified the aircraft as a twin-seat F‑15E from the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath in the U.K. theguardian +1. The White House confirmed President Donald Trump had been briefed on the downing and the rescue effort nbcnews.

How the Jet Was Downed and the Battle to Reach the Crew

Iranian outlets reported that IRGC air defenses used a “new advanced system” to destroy the jet over central Iran, releasing photos and video that appeared to show large sections of an F‑15 fuselage and a U.S. Air Force tail flash theguardian +1. “From the structure it certainly looks like an F‑15,” said Peter Layton, a former Royal Australian Air Force officer, citing tail markings linked to the Lakenheath-based 48th Fighter Wing cnn. U.S. officials told multiple outlets the aircraft was lost to hostile fire but have not publicly detailed the weapon system involved nytimes +1.

Within hours, U.S. forces launched a combat search-and-rescue mission from bases in the region, deploying special operations helicopters and drones to locate the two crew members, who had reportedly ejected axios. One was recovered by American forces on Friday, Axios and CBS reported, while Iranian authorities and local media urged civilians in the mountainous area to search for, capture or kill any surviving “enemy” personnel, with merchants and officials offering rewards equivalent to tens of thousands of dollars axios +2. Conflicting reports persisted over whether the second crew member was already in Iranian custody or still evading capture axios +1.

A Symbolic Blow Amid Escalation and Oil Shock

The shootdown punctured U.S. claims of near-total air superiority over Iran, coming after Trump vowed to bomb the country “back to the Stone Age” if it continued attacks on regional infrastructure bbc +1. It followed a string of U.S. aircraft losses in the campaign, including three F‑15s accidentally shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses on March 2 and the crash of a KC‑135 refueling plane in Iraq, which together left more than a dozen U.S. personnel dead bbc +1. Analysts warned that high-risk rescue missions inside Iran could trigger further clashes if U.S. forces are engaged by IRGC units or local militias cnn +1.

Global oil markets reacted sharply: U.S. crude prices jumped above $111 a barrel on Friday, with Brent topping $109, as traders weighed the risk that intensified fighting — and unresolved questions about the missing aviator — could complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas bbc +1. At the U.N. Security Council, divisions between the United States and allies on one side and Russia and China on the other continued to stall any joint mandate to secure shipping lanes cnn.

The Bigger Picture

The downing of the F‑15E, and the possibility that an American aircrew member is now missing or captured inside Iran, added a volatile new human dimension to a conflict already reshaping regional security and global energy flows. It underscored both Iran’s remaining air-defense capabilities and the exposure of U.S. forces operating deep over hostile territory, while heightening political stakes in Washington, Tehran and key Gulf capitals as each side calculates how far to push — or pause — a war that has rapidly spread from covert skirmishes to direct, high-risk confrontations in the skies.