The United States said Sunday it rescued a service
member missing behind enemy lines since Iran downed a fighter jet, as
President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Tehran with a new looming
deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran showed no signs of backing down, striking new economic and infrastructure targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries.
The airman’s extraction followed a frantic U.S. search-and-rescue
operation after the Friday crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, as Iran also
promised a reward for anyone who turned in an “enemy pilot.” Trump said
he was injured but in stable condition.
“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous
mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting
closer and closer by the hour,” Trump wrote on social media.
A second crew member was rescued earlier.
The fighter jet was the first American aircraft to have crashed in
Iranian territory since the U.S. and Israel launched the war, striking
Iran on Feb. 28. It has since killed thousands, shaken global markets,
cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have
threatened and hit civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war
crimes.
Trump said last week that the U.S. had “decimated” Iran and would
finish the war “very fast.” Two days later, Iran shot down two U.S.
military planes, showing the ongoing perils of the bombing campaign and
the ability of a degraded Iranian military to continue to hit back.
As Iran continues to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, Trump,
in a weekend social media post, threatened to unleash “all Hell” if it
isn’t opened by Monday. He has issued such threats before and extended
them when mediators have claimed progress toward ending the war on
agreeable terms.
The other jet to go down was a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft. Neither the
status of the crew nor exactly where it crashed was immediately known.
On Sunday, Iran’s state TV aired a video showing thick black smoke
rising into the air, claiming that they had shot down an American
transport plane and two helicopters that were part of the rescue
operation. However, a regional intelligence official briefed on the
mission told The Associated Press that the U.S. military blew up two
transport planes due to a technical malfunction, forcing it to bring in
additional aircraft to complete the rescue.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert mission.
In Kuwait, an Iranian drone attack caused significant damage to two
power plants and put a water desalination station out of service,
according to the Ministry of Electricity. No injuries were reported from
the attack, the ministry said.
In Bahrain, the national oil company said that a drone attack caused a
fire at one of its storage facilities, which was extinguished. It said
the damage was still being assessed and no injuries had been reported.
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities responded to multiple fires
at the Borouge petrochemicals plant, a joint venture of the Abu Dhabi
National Oil Co. and Borealis of Austria. They say the fires were caused
by falling debris following successful interceptions by air defense
systems, but production at the plant in Ruwais, near the UAE’s western
border with Saudi Arabia, has halted.
The strike came a day after Israel struck a petrochemical plant in
Iran that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said generated revenue that
it had used to fund the war.
Trump renewed his threats for Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz by
Monday or face devastating consequences, writing Saturday in a social
media post: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN
UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell
will reign down on them.”
The waterway is a critical chokepoint for global energy shipments,
especially oil and gas moving from the Persian Gulf to Europe and Asia.
Disruptions there have injected volatility into the market and pushed
oil and gas-importing countries to seek alternative sources.
“The doors of hell will be opened to you” if Iran’s infrastructure is
attacked, Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi with the country’s joint military
command said late Saturday in response to Trump’s renewed threat, state
media reported. In turn, the general threatened all infrastructure used
by the U.S. military in the region.
But Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, told the
AP that his government’s efforts to broker a ceasefire are “right on
track” after Islamabad last week said that it would soon host talks
between the U.S. and Iran.
Mediators from Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt were working to bring the
U.S. and Iran to the negotiating table, according to two regional
officials.
The proposed compromise includes a cessation of hostilities to allow a
diplomatic settlement, according to a regional official involved in the
efforts and a Gulf diplomat briefed on the matter. They spoke on
condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, issued a
veiled threat late Friday to disrupt traffic through a second strategic
waterway in the region, the Bab el-Mandeb.
The strait, 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide, links the Red Sea with the
Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. More than a tenth of seaborne global
oil and a quarter of container ships pass through it.
“Which countries and companies account for the highest transit volumes through the strait?” Qalibaf wrote.
More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began.
In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen
people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S.
service members have been killed. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people
have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Ten
Israeli soldiers have died there.
President Trump's full Truth Social Post:
WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours,
the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and
Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew
Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and
who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND! This brave
Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran,
being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by
the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief,
Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow
Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently
planning for his rescue. At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens
of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to
retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This
miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful
rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm,
because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This
is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been
rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory. WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN
AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! The fact that we were able to pull off both
of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded,
just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance
and Superiority over the Iranian skies. This is a moment that ALL
Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else, should be proud of
and united around. We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal
Military in the History of the World. GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR
TROOPS, AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!
