US launches search and rescue operation after its F-15E fighter jet shot down in Iran amid ongoing conflict

Iran shot down a US F-15E fighter jet, and a search-and-rescue operation is currently underway for the two crew members, a US official said, according to Bloomberg, adding this would be the first combat loss of a US fighter jet in the five-week conflict, representing a major escalation in a war that has already sparked a global energy crisis.

The New York Times, which first reported that a fighter jet had been downed, said the status of the crew remains unknown.

"Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," Iran's Fars news agency confirmed.

The Iranian state media IRIB posted a map of the country highlighting the area where two American pilots have been hunted for since morning.

A local TV station broadcast footage that it claimed showed the debris of a downed US jet, reported AFP. The station, citing a police statement, said the aircraft was targeted over central Iran and may have crashed in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. The statement called on residents in the area to assist in the search for the pilot or pilots, offering a reward for the capture of any US servicemen.

Neither the US Central Command nor the White House responded immediately to requests for comment.

Similar claims earlier refuted by US

On Friday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency claimed that the country had shot down a “highly advanced American fighter jet".

Iranian state media have previously made similar claims about downing US aircraft, which the US has refuted. On Thursday, Central Command dismissed a claim by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had shot down an enemy fighter jet over an island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Central Command took to social media and said, “Iran’s IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times."

Iran targets sites in Gulf

Iran continued targeting sites in Arab Gulf states on Friday, just hours after President Donald Trump issued new threats against Iranian infrastructure to push Tehran toward peace talks. On Thursday, the US president shared a video of a bridge collapse on social media, warning that there would be “Much more to follow!” if Iran failed to negotiate.

Iran remained unyielding, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stating that attacks on civilian infrastructure “will not compel Iranians to surrender.”

Strikes in Iran

Meanwhile, American and Israeli fighter jets carried out strikes on multiple strategic and civilian sites in Iran’s capital on Friday afternoon, including Shahid Beheshti University, one of the nation’s top academic institutions, according to Iranian state media.

IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) reported that the air raids targeted Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran’s northern Velenjak district, as well as Mehrabad International Airport in the western part of the city, damaging infrastructure and university facilities. Independent verification of casualties or the full extent of the damage was not available while writing this report.

Since 28 February, when the United States and Israel carried out a large-scale joint offensive against Iran, the conflict has spread across the Gulf region following Iran’s retaliatory strikes.