The U.S. military has rescued another crew member missing from the F-15E fighter jet shot down in Iran following intense clashes, but the individual has yet to be extracted from Iranian territory as U.S.-Iran tensions escalate.
A U.S. government source told Al Jazeera that the U.S. military successfully identified and rescued the second crew member from the F-15 shot down last Friday (3 Apr). The rescue operation occurred amid heavy fighting near the city of Dehdasht in southern Iran.
However, reports say the "mission is not yet complete" because the pilots and rescue teams remain inside Iranian territory and continue to face danger from ongoing combat. Previously, there was a fierce struggle between the U.S. military and local Iranian armed groups seeking a bounty of over 2 million baht from the Iranian government for capturing the pilot.
President Donald Trump posted a message congratulating the news, stating:
"We found him! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the U.S. military conducted one of the most courageous search and rescue missions in U.S. history to save one of our brave crew members, and I am very pleased to report that he is now safe! This brave warrior is behind enemy lines in Iran's dangerous mountains, pursued by our enemies who are getting closer every hour. But he was never truly alone because the Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and his fellow warriors have been tracking his position 24/7 and diligently planning his rescue. Under my orders, the U.S. military deployed dozens of aircraft armed with the world's deadliest weapons to retrieve him. He was injured, but he will be okay."
Earlier, President Trump posted a warning to Iran setting a 48-hour deadline to negotiate an end to the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "The clock is ticking—48 hours before hell breaks loose on them all." This aligns with reports from senior Israeli defense officials that Israel’s military is ready to strike Iranian energy facilities immediately upon U.S. approval within the coming week.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the United Nations warning that any attack near the Bushehr nuclear power plant could trigger an "unacceptable nuclear radiation crisis," and responded to U.S. threats by saying, "This region will become hell for you as well."
Although Iranian authorities have left room for peace talks via Pakistan, it appears that the conditions set by Trump have not yet been met. Meanwhile, Iran continues to launch drones and missiles targeting U.S. bases and industrial facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait as acts of retaliation.
Now in its sixth week, the war has caused thousands of deaths and sparked a global energy crisis due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for about one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas shipments, placing the global economy at severe risk. Meanwhile, U.S. public opinion polls indicate declining support for the war.