A US fighter jet was shot down over Iran, and a search and rescue operation was underway for any survivors, a US official told Reuters on Friday, in the first such known incident since the US launched its war with Iran on February 28th.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details.
The Pentagon and US Central Command did not respond to requests for comment.
The prospect of US pilots being alive and on the run inside Iran during an ongoing conflict greatly raises the stakes for the United States in the conflict. Iranian officials called on civilians to be on the lookout for survivors.
The governor of Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said whoever captured or killed the crew “would be specially commended,” according to the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA.
It comes as President Donald Trump on Friday said the US can open the Strait of Hormuz with a little more time, as pressure mounts for his administration to find a quick resolution to a war against Iran.
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“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL,& MAKE A FORTUNE,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Nearly five weeks after it started with a joint US-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil financial markets, raising the pressure on Trump to find a quick resolution to the conflict.
Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz. This key waterway carries about a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption, in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that began in late February. Reopening it has become a priority for governments around the world as energy prices soar.
In the speech on Wednesday night, Trump repeated his threats against Iran‘s civilian power plants and gave no clear timeline for ending hostilities, drawing vows of retaliation from Iran and depressing share prices.