U.S. Official: Missing U.S. Military Pilot Has Been Found! Why Are the U.S. and Iran Racing to Seize the Pilot?

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on the 3rd that it had shot down a U.S. military fighter aircraft within Iran’s territory. U.S. officials subsequently confirmed that a U.S. Air Force F-15E “Strike Eagle” two-seat fighter jet crashed in Iran; the U.S. recovered one pilot, and the whereabouts of another pilot remain unknown.

U.S. official: The missing U.S. pilot has been found

On the 5th local time, a U.S. government official told Al Jazeera on the 5th that the missing second U.S. pilot had been found, but was not out of danger yet; rescue operations were still ongoing.

In connection with this pilot

The U.S. and Iran previously “raced” to launch a search

U.S.

According to a report by CNN, the U.S. military deployed search-and-rescue aircraft and helicopters into Iranian airspace. One surviving pilot was rescued, while the other pilot remained missing; the search-and-rescue operation was then launched. Separately, according to reports from the British side, U.S. special forces entered Iran on the evening of the 3rd to carry out a search-and-rescue operation.

On the 3rd, U.S. President Trump briefly took a telephone interview with the British newspaper The Independent. When asked how the U.S. would respond if the pilot were captured or harmed in Iran, Trump said, “I can’t say, because—we hope that situation won’t happen.” After that, he ended the call shortly thereafter.

Iran

According to a report from Iran on the 3rd, the governor of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Ahmad, encouraged local residents to pursue the fallen American pilot in that area. The governor said that local security and military forces were searching for the American pilot with full effort, and that the provincial government would give special commendations to individuals or groups that successfully captured or killed enemy personnel.

Experts: The pilot’s fate is closely linked to the direction of the battle

The whereabouts and ultimate fate of the two U.S. pilots aboard the F-15E will have a relatively large impact on the current direction of the conflict.

First, after the U.S. rescue force, composed of HC-130J aircraft and HH-60 helicopters, enters Iran’s airspace, it may again be subjected to air defense fire attacks.

Second, if the U.S. pilot is killed or captured by Iran and is then shown to the public through the media, the decision-makers who triggered the conflict will face stronger anti-war voices within the United States, which in turn could affect subsequent military decisions.

Third, even if the U.S. successfully rescues the pilot and the rescue force suffers no casualties, this incident would still cause the U.S. military to reassess the risks brought by airstrikes.

A massive amount of information and precise analysis are available on the Sina Finance app

Editor: Liu Wanli SF014