Seriously wounded US airman rescued from Iran, Trump says

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Michael Sheils McNamee

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A second US crew member who was missing in Iran after an American F-15 fighter jet was shot down has been rescued.

Posting to social media, US President Donald Trump said the rescued weapons-systems officer had “sustained injuries” but would be “just fine”, describing the rescue as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history”.

Following the downing of the aircraft on Friday, both the pilot and crew member ejected - with the pilot recovered shortly afterwards.

After this, both the US and Iran scrambled to locate the missing crew member in a mountainous region of southwestern Iran.

The search presented a serious test for the US, with the possibility of a prisoner of war situation if Iran found the missing airman - something which would have likely involved him being used as part of propaganda material.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was said to have launched its own search for the missing American, reportedly using troops and locals, and offering them a reward of about $66,000 (£50,000) to capture him alive.

Videos on social media appeared to show hundreds of people heading to a mountainous area in south-western Iran to search for the missing US airman.

Details of the second airman being rescued emerged in US media late on Saturday night.

A short time later, Trump confirmed the successful mission on Truth Social, writing “WE GOT HIM!”, adding the crew member was a “respected colonel”.

The US rescue operation was described to the BBC as “huge” by one person familiar with the details.

The BBC understands that the pilot may have been injured during his initial ejection from the aircraft.

Tasnim, the semi-official news agency associated with the IRGC, said five Iranians were killed during the operation.

Trump says missing US crew member from downed jet rescued in ‘daring’ operation in Iran

What we know so far about rescue of US airman in Iran

Trump said dozens of aircraft had been involved in the operation, with the White House not giving an update after the pilot was recovered on Friday to protect the ongoing rescue.

Earlier reports suggested the missing crew member might be in the mountainous area of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, in the southwestern regions of Iran.

Officials told US media that the crew member spent more than 24 hours on his own, hiding in the mountains with a handgun.

A senior official also said that the CIA played a crucial role in the rescue mission by tracking the airman in a mountain crevice and passing his exact location to the Pentagon.

The agency engaged in a deception campaign inside Iran, reports said. While the rescue attempt was taking place, the agency spread word the airman had already been found and was being extracted from Iran.

The rescue operation reportedly included an A-10 Warthog aircraft which was hit over the Gulf, with its pilot ejecting before being rescued.

The recovery of the F-15 crew member comes as strikes continue in the region.

On Sunday morning, authorities in Abu Dhabi said they were battling fires at a Borouge petrochemical facility caused by falling debris from an Iranian missile.

Kuwait said strikes by Iranian drones had caused severe damage to oil and petrochemical facilities. Industrial and fuel plants were also targeted in Bahrain.

Later in the day Israeli media reported a direct hit by a ballistic missile on a residential building in the city of Haifa which injured at least four people.

Meanwhile President Trump told Fox News he thought there was a “good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran on Monday, ahead of Tuesday’s US-imposed deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The interview followed an expletive-ridden post on social media in which he repeated threats to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges.

Iran

United States

Iran war