U.S. Rescues Both F-15 Crew Members Shot Down Over Iran in Daring Special Forces Operation

President Donald Trump confirmed early Sunday that both crew members of a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran have been rescued, calling the operation "one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History."

The twin-seat aircraft was brought down by Iranian forces on Friday over southwestern Iran, marking the first U.S. fighter jet downed by enemy fire in more than two decades. The two crew members — a pilot and a weapons systems officer — both ejected and made separate landings in the mountains of Iran's Khuzestan province.

A Race Against Time

The first crew member, the pilot, was located and rescued within hours of the shootdown by U.S. special forces. The second crew member — a colonel, according to Trump — evaded capture for over 24 hours while Iranian forces and civilians conducted a parallel manhunt, with the Iranian government offering a reward equivalent to $60,000 to anyone who turned over the American officer.

Iranian state television broadcast calls for locals to assist in capturing the crew members. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had destroyed the aircraft using "a new advanced air defense system," releasing images of debris on Telegram. One photo appeared to show the F-15's vertical stabilizer; another showed an empty ejection seat.

The Rescue Operation

According to senior U.S. officials speaking to Axios, the CIA launched a deliberate deception campaign — spreading word within Iran that the officer had already been found — buying critical time for the actual rescue team to locate him. A specialized commando unit with heavy air cover eventually extracted the officer from a mountain crevice.

"This was the ultimate needle in a haystack — but in this case, it was a brave American soul, invisible but for CIA's capabilities," a senior administration official told Axios.

During the rescue operations, Iran struck a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter, wounding crew members, though it remained flyable. A separate A-10 Warthog was also hit and destroyed, though its pilot ejected safely and was recovered in Kuwaiti airspace.

Trump's Reaction

"The U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him," Trump posted on Truth Social. "He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine." The president described the rescues as proof of "overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies" — a claim some analysts dispute given that three aircraft were successfully hit by Iranian defenses in a single day.

Context: Six Weeks of War

The shootdown occurred during the sixth week of what the U.S. military has named Operation Epic Fury. Since the start of the conflict, 13 American service members have died, 365 have been wounded in action, and U.S. and Israeli forces have carried out hundreds of airstrikes targeting Iran's military infrastructure, missile defenses, and energy sector. Diplomatic efforts remain stalled, with Iran refusing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz pending a ceasefire agreement.

The incident underscores the ongoing risks in what has become the most significant U.S. military engagement in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War — and raises fresh questions about American air dominance claims even as both rescued airmen are expected to make full recoveries.