WASHINGTON -- A US fighter jet has been shot down by Iranian forces over Iran and a search is under way for any survivors, a US official in Washington told RFE/RL, in what would be the first US warplane lost to hostile fire since the start of the war.
The US official's remarks came hours after Iran said on April 3 that it had shot down a US jet and that it was offering a reward to Iranian citizens for the capture of the crew.
US officials told RFE/RL that the downed plane was a two-seat F-15E jet.
Sources told RFE/RL that one crew member had been rescued and that the search was ongoing for the second, although details of the mission were not outlined.
The military did not comment, and the White House said only that President Donald Trump had been briefed.
Should a crew member be captured by Iranian forces, it would seriously raise already high tensions and likely complicate US efforts as it attempts to fully degrade Tehran’s military assets and force the regime to agree to peace terms set out by Trump.
Search-And-Rescue Strategy
Asked what a potential search-and-rescue operation would involve, Richard Allen Williams, a retired US Army colonel and former NATO Defense Investment Division official, told RFE/RL that such missions are typically highly coordinated and heavily protected.
He explained that commanders would likely deploy a dedicated air-surveillance aircraft to oversee the operation, supported by air-security assets and ground forces capable of providing suppressive fire if needed.
These units would work to secure the crash site while rescue teams home in on the downed aircraft’s GPS signal.
Additional aircraft and backup resources would remain on standby to respond quickly to any escalation or complications, he added.
Photos And Videos
Iranian sources published photos and videos of what they claimed was evidence of the incident.
"Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," Iran's Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported.
While US military aircraft have crashed or been hit by Iranian missiles or drones while on the ground since the war broke out on February 28, the downing of the fighter jet, if confirmed officially, would be the first reported case of a US warplane downed by hostile fire.
On March 12, six US service personnel were killed when a KC-135 refueling tanker crashed after a mid-air collision with another refueling aircraft.
Just over two weeks later, on March 27, an Iranian missile and drone strike hit the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, injuring at least 12 American troops and heavily damaging at least two KC-135 aerial refueling planes.
Three United States Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down over Kuwait on March 2 by friendly fire from Kuwaiti air defenses. The six crew members ejected safely into Kuwait.
Iran Launches Strikes Across Region
The report of the downing comes as Iran launched attacks across the Middle East on April 3, setting parts of a major Kuwaiti oil refinery ablaze and triggering air defense responses across the Gulf, as the war with the United States and Israel neared the end of its fifth week.
The refinery has been targeted several times since the war began and state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said firefighters were working to put out multiple fires from the strikes. Electricity, water, and renewable energy infrastructure in Kuwait were also hit in the attack.
Tehran continued to keep the pressure on Israel and its other Gulf Arab neighbors. Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed several Iranian drones, air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, defenses were activated in the United Arab Emirates, and Israel reported incoming missiles.
Authorities in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates said at least 12 people suffered "minor to moderate" injuries on April 3 from falling debris following the interception of an incoming projectile. Officials said seven Nepali nationals and five Indian citizens were injured.
US Has 'Not Even Started'
The latest wave of Iranian attacks follows comments from US President Donald Trump late on April 2 where he signaled further escalation, saying Washington had “not even started” its campaign against Iran and warning that more strikes on infrastructure were imminent, even as diplomatic efforts to contain the war showed little progress.
“The US hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” he wrote in a series of social media posts, adding that targets could include bridges and power plants. “Iran’s leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”
He also shared video of a US strike on a newly built bridge linking Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj. Iranian state media said the attack killed eight people and wounded 95. Iranian media said a separate drone strike hit a Red Crescent warehouse in the southern province of Bushehr, destroying two containers. The port city is a key maritime hub and home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli strikes have destroyed about 70 percent of Iran's steel production capacity, significantly hitting Tehran's ability to manufacture weapons.
"Together with our American friends, we continue to crush the terror regime in Iran. We are eliminating commanders, bombing bridges, bombing infrastructures," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
Britain To Deploy Systems To Kuwait Amid Attacks
The latest exchange of attacks underscores how the war, which began with coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, is expanding across the region, disrupting global energy flows and raising pressure on world powers to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for oil and gas supplies.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office announced on April 3 that the country will deploy its Rapid Sentry air defense system to Kuwait to help protect British and Kuwaiti interests in the Gulf.
The Rapid Sentry is a ground-based short-range air defense system aimed at countering drone threats.
Iran has continued to target energy infrastructure across the Gulf while maintaining pressure on shipping routes through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies pass in peacetime.
In a social media post on April 3, Trump said: "With a little more time, we can easily open the Hormuz Strait, take the oil, and make a fortune. It would be a 'gusher' for the world???"
Oil markets have reacted sharply and sent prices climbing. Shipping through the strait, once a stable corridor for global trade, has been increasingly disrupted.
Trump has said it is not the responsibility of the United States to reopen the waterway, urging countries that rely on the route to take action themselves.
