US President Donald Trump announced early Sunday that a missing American airman whose F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran two days ago has been rescued.
Meanwhile, Trump and Iranian military officials have exchanged threats to unleash “hell” upon one another as the deadline set by the US President for reopening the Strait of Hormuz approaches.
Airman Rescued
After a two-day search-and-rescue operation, the US recovered the second crew member of the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that was shot down in southern Iran on Friday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that the US rescued the missing Colonel in “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History,” adding that the airman is “now SAFE and SOUND!”
Trump revealed some details about the operation, saying that the crew member was “behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran” where he was hunted down by Iranian forces as the US was planning for his rescue.
“At my direction, the US Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump wrote.
Double Hunt
The F-15E fighter jet was the first aircraft to crash inside Iranian territory since the conflict began on February 28, 2026. The pilot was recovered on Friday in a US Special Forces operation. Meanwhile, search continued to locate the second crew member – a weapons system officer – amid a heated race with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who offered cash rewards to citizens to find them “alive.”
According to Axios, citing a US official, the airman endured injury while ejecting from the aircraft but could still walk and made contact via his communications system.
The rescue operation involved a CIA deception campaign, a specialized commando unit, and a high volume of air cover.
Simultaneously, the IRGC sent forces to the area in a bid to prevent the rescue, but US troops used bombs and weapons fire to keep the Iranians away from the location of the missing crew member, according to two US officials.
American Aircraft Take Fire
The F-15E was not the only jet to sustain Iranian fire. On Friday, a US A-10 Warthog fighter jet also crashed, with the pilot ejecting outside of Iranian territory and subsequently rescued, according to Axios.
Iran’s military claimed it had shot down the attack aircraft, saying it crashed into the Arabian Gulf after Iran’s air defense systems targeted it near the Strait of Hormuz.
Furthermore, a US Blackhawk helicopter sustained Iranian fire during the pilot rescue operation. As a result, crew members were injured, but the aircraft was able to fly.
Two transport planes involved in the second airman rescue operation were unable to take off from a remote base in Iran. So, they were destroyed to prevent Iran’s military from capturing them, CBS reported, citing two US officials.
Iran also claimed that a police commando unit called the Faraj Rangers shot down an American C-130 class aircraft that was searching for the missing airman in the southern region of Isfahan, according to Fars news agency.
Despite this, Trump boasted “overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies” as the US managed to rescue the two crew members “without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded.”
Trading ‘Hell’ Threats
Trump has set a deadline on April 6 for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or the US will destroy Iranian power facilities. On Saturday, he doubled down on his threat, warning that he would unleash hell upon Iran if the critical waterway remained closed.
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them,” he posted on Truth Social.
Iranian military officials responded to Trump’s ultimatum, threatening the US and Israel of “hell” if they targeted Iranian power infrastructure.
“Do not forget: if hostilities expand, the entire region will become hell for you. The illusion of defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran has turned into a quagmire that will engulf you,” the spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said.
Similarly, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, warned that the “gates of hell will be opened” upon the US if it continues to attack Iranian infrastructure, calling Trump’s threat a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action,” according to Mehr news agency.
