On Friday, April 3, the President of the United States responded for the first time to the incident where an American fighter jet was shot down over Iranian airspace in a brief phone interview.
President Trump, during an interview with NBC News, declined to discuss specific details of the rescue operation that followed after the American fighter jet was shot down over Iran.
Reports indicate that the President expressed dissatisfaction with the coverage by some media outlets during this evidently tense and sensitive rescue operation.
When asked if the downing of the aircraft would affect negotiations with Iran, the President responded, “It will not.”
He stated that the downing of the American fighter jet would not impact negotiations with Iran, saying, “No, not at all. No, this is war. We are in a state of war.”
On Friday morning around 11 a.m. Eastern Time, US officials confirmed that an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran, and a rescue operation by the US military was underway.
The aircraft had two crew members, and so far, the pilot has been rescued. However, the search for the other crew member—a weapons systems officer—is still ongoing.
According to CBS reports, officials revealed that the rescued pilot was airlifted by two US military helicopters.
The US helicopters carrying the rescued pilot were targeted by light weapons fire from Iran, resulting in injuries to some personnel on board. The helicopters subsequently landed safely. All service members have received initial medical treatment and will be transported to a hospital for further care.
The search for the other F-15E crew member is still ongoing. At 2 p.m. Eastern Time, Israel’s Channel 12 quoted sources as saying that the two US military crew members safely ejected after the fighter jet was hit. The pilot was located after initial contact was made with the United States Army, while the backseat crew member (weapons systems officer) is still being searched for.