US officials said a United States F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory on Friday.
The jet was reportedly shot and crashed in Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran, near the Karoon River, approximately 470 kilometres from Tehran.
The incident marks the first confirmed loss of a manned American aircraft to Iranian air defenses during the ongoing five-week-old conflict.
The aircraft was manned by a crew of two: a pilot and a weapons systems officer.
U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed that one of the airmen has been successfully recovered by U.S. forces and is receiving medical treatment.
A massive search-and-rescue operation is said to be currently underway in hostile territory to locate the remaining crew member.
Iranian state media, including Tasnim News Agency (0.4.21), has broadcast appeals for civilians to capture the “enemy pilots” alive, offering a reward of 10 billion tomans (roughly £50,000).
Iranian state media released photos of wreckage—including a vertical stabilizer with markings from the 494th Fighter Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath—which experts have identified as consistent with an F-15E.
U.S. officials confirmed the downing to multiple outlets, including the BBC (0.4.3) and Reuters (0.4.4), while the White House stated that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation.
The shoot-down occurred just after U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, claimed the U.S. had achieved total air superiority over Iran.
Following the incident, Israel has reportedly suspended planned strikes in Iran to avoid interfering with the ongoing American rescue mission.