A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle on 16 July 2020.
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
One crew member was rescued Friday after Iranian forces shot down a U.S. fighter jet, MS NOW reported.
The U.S. was searching for the second member of the F-15 aircraft’s crew, whose whereabouts were unknown, according to MS Now, which cited two U.S. officials.
The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately comment. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the U.S. aircraft going down and the search for the crew, a White House official said.
It appeared to be the first known loss of a U.S. jet in the country since the war in Iran started in late February.
Meanwhile, a second U.S. aircraft involved in the war crashed on Friday, and the pilot was rescued, an official told MS Now.
The downing of the jet comes at a delicate time, when the U.S. has showed few signs of slowing its assault on Iran and reports of potential peace talks did not yield a breakthrough. Trump told NBC News on Friday that the aircraft being shot down would not affect possible negotiations with Iran.
The war has now gone on for more than a month, and the death toll from the conflict is nearing 5,100 across the Middle East, according to MS NOW. It has suffocated tanker traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz and threatened supplies of crude oil, fertilizer and other key commodities.
Trump claimed in a social media post Friday that with more time, the U.S. could “easily” open the strait, “TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”
Trump also threatened late Thursday to escalate attacks on Iranian infrastructure. He said the U.S. “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” citing bridges and electric power plants.
In remarks Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. would attack Iran “back to the Stone Ages.”
