Iranian and American forces were engaged on Saturday in a race to find the two crew members of the first American combat aircraft to crash in Iran since the beginning of the war, Tehran claiming to have hit the plane.
American media reported on Friday that one of the two pilots had been rescued in southwest Iran, while the fate of the second, still actively sought, remained unknown.
More than a month after the start of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 against the Islamic Republic, which has claimed thousands of lives, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, this is the first serious setback for the American air force.
Especially since the Iranian army claimed that its anti-aircraft defense had hit another American aircraft, an A-10, which then crash-landed in the Gulf, in a statement carried by state television (Irib). The New York Times had previously reported the crash of an American aircraft near the Strait of Hormuz, with its sole pilot being rescued unharmed.
After a long silence, the White House simply stated that Donald Trump had been “kept informed” about the loss of the aircraft in southwest Iran, which is reported to be an F-15E fighter-bomber, according to media reports.
In a brief phone interview with NBC, the American president assured that this “changes nothing at all” in the potential talks with Tehran.
Since the beginning of the war, no American soldiers have been killed or captured on Iranian soil, but 13 have perished in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
– “Hide” –
The aircraft was destroyed by an anti-aircraft defense system operated by the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, a spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces said. “Further searches are ongoing,” he said.
The New York Times and the Washington Post claim to have authenticated photos and videos circulating on social media and in Iranian news outlets, showing American helicopters and aircraft flying at low altitude in the area.
The Iranian state television station in the region of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad (southwest) broadcast images reportedly showing the wreckage, promising a “generous reward” for anyone who delivers the pilots.
According to a Western fighter pilot interviewed by AFP, the first thing to do in case of ejection in hostile territory is to hide and try to signal to fellow pilots.
For this, each pilot wears a combat vest containing a radio-GPS encoded beacon to transmit their position.
Meanwhile, Iran continues its missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf monarchies, US allies, in retaliation for attacks on its soil and in response to Donald Trump’s threats to destroy its infrastructure.
In the United Arab Emirates, an Egyptian died in an attack on a gas complex in Habshan, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
In Kuwait, a refinery along with a power and desalination plant were hit.
– Bridges destroyed in Iran and Lebanon –
Donald Trump threatens to destroy Iranian infrastructure, identifying bridges and power plants as targets, although the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, prohibited by international law, could expose Washington to war crime charges.
On Thursday, American-Israeli airstrikes reportedly destroyed a bridge under construction near Tehran, a site visited by AFP as part of an organized tour by authorities.
“We worked hard to assemble these elements, we shed tears,” said engineer Roozbeh Yazdi, met at the site where steel rods and concrete blocks dangle in the void.
In Lebanon, another front in the war, heavily bombed and invaded by the Israeli army aiming to eliminate the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah in response to attacks on Israel, a bridge was destroyed in the east of the country.
Three peacekeepers were also wounded in southern Lebanon by an explosion of unknown origin.
Economically, the war continues to fuel strong concerns, with Iran’s near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz causing soaring prices of oil, fertilizers, and other goods, risking a global inflation spiral.
Russia and Turkey have called for an immediate ceasefire, citing the energy crisis.
Nonetheless, a first European container ship, owned by the French group CMA CGM, passed through the strait on Thursday, displaying its French ownership via its navigation signal.
Three ships, including a Japanese liquefied natural gas carrier, also transited the strait on Thursday along the Omani coast, according to maritime traffic data consulted on Friday.
Gulf countries have urged the UN Security Council to approve a forcible liberation of the strait, but the vote was postponed due to lack of consensus.
The economic impact of the war continues to spread.
Bangladesh has reduced office and shop hours to save energy.
In Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, free public transport has been suspended for a month due to rising fuel prices.
