One pilot rescued after US fighter jet crash in Iran

The U.S. military has rescued one of the pilots whose F-15 fighter jet crashed in Iran on Friday, as the search continues for the second crew member.

A defense official confirmed Iranian state media reports about the incident and the rescue efforts. This is the first downing of a jet inside Iran since the war started and a possible blow to the Trump administration’s plan to quickly wrap up the weeks-long conflict.

Iranian state media said Friday that a pilot ejected from the jet, although U.S. officials did not confirm it.

The Defense Department, the Air Force, and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The official was granted anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation.

The incident, especially if it involves captured troops, threatens to ratchet up a military campaign President Donald Trump said in a Wednesday address to the nation would end in two to three weeks.

But Trump insisted Friday that the downing of the jet wouldn’t affect negotiations with Iran. “No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war,” he told NBC News.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at a press conference this week, said the U.S. had defeated so much of Iran’s air defenses that the U.S. was sending B-52 bombers to fly over the country.

The New York Times first reported Friday afternoon that a second combat jet crashed in the Persian Gulf region and the lone pilot was rescued.

The war has led to the deaths of 13 American servicemembers and thousands of Iranians. But the potential capture of a crew member would immediately raise the stakes.

“Such a situation would only cause [Trump] to double down,” said Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa practice at the Eurasia Group, a global consultancy. “The probabilities of seeing the U.S. begin to wind down this conflict and potentially take an exit ramp begin to diminish.”

Daniella Cheslow contributed to this report.