Israel–US–Iran War: US Jet Shot Down Over Iran; High-Stakes Search For Crew Underway As Tehran Offers Reward

Tensions in the Middle East reached a critical flashpoint on Friday following reports that an American aircraft was lost over Iranian territory. According to reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, both US officials and Iranian state-affiliated media have confirmed the downing of a US fighter jet, marking the first known loss of an American jet inside the country since the start of the war.

The Wall Street Journal noted that the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB attributed the strike to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defences, while the Fars News Agency has already begun circulating photographs purporting to show the wreckage of the downed craft.

Fate of crew unknown

The fate of the plane’s crew remains unclear as American officials scramble to mount a search and rescue operation. According to The New York Times, it is now a high-stakes race to reach survivors before Iranian forces can.

While US Central Command maintains multiple task forces in Iraq and Syria specifically for such contingencies, officials told the Times that the operation is exceptionally difficult. Iran has demonstrated a consistent ability to launch strikes against the slow-moving helicopters typically required for extraction missions, complicating rescue efforts.

Captured or rescued? Desperate search begins

The urgency of the situation is further compounded by reports from Iranian state media, which claim that a reward has been offered to anyone who locates the pilot.

The incident follows claims by Iranian state media, including Press TV, that a second American fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet was intercepted and downed over central Iran. Citing a statement from the spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, the outlet alleged that the advanced aircraft was struck by a newly deployed air-defence system operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force.

This second reported loss reflects the heightening aerial threat environment described by US officials, as the IRGC continues to tout the effectiveness of its modernised defence infrastructure against sophisticated American hardware.

“A second US fifth-generation F-35 was struck and downed over central Iran by a new IRGC Aerospace Force air-defence system. Given the massive explosion on impact and during the crash, the pilot is unlikely to have ejected," a Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters spokesman stated, as quoted by Press TV.