Iran

April 3 (UPI) — The U.S. forces rescued at least one crew member after Iran shot down a U.S. F-15E fighter jet Friday, unnamed U.S. military sources told multiple media outlets.

Officials confirmed the rescue to CBS News but said search-and-rescue operations were still taking place. CNN reported they were looking for one other pilot before Iranian forces could reach them. The F-15E has a standard crew of two pilots, The New York Times reported.

Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian officials’ efforts to locate the two U.S. pilot had “so far been unsuccessful.” Another Iranian news outlet, Fars News, said the government was offering a reward to anyone who captured an “enemy pilot or pilots.”

The New York Times reported that amid the search-and-rescue efforts, Iranian ground fire also hit a U.S. Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Officials told the news outlet that the crew was able to fly the aircraft back to safety in Iraq.

The Times also reported that another aircraft, an A-10 Thunderbolt, or Warthog, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz around the same time as the F-15E fighter jet. Two U.S. officials told the outlet that the only pilot on board the aircraft was rescued.

Iranian media outlets published photos of what appears to be a shot-down F-15 fighter jet.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the incident.

This is the first U.S. aircraft to be shot down by Iran since the start of U.S. and Israeli bombing on Feb. 28. Three other F-15 jets were shot down by mistake in Kuwait.

Iran claims responsibility for downing two US warplanes, as search under way for missing crewmember.

Iran has claimed responsibility for shooting down two US warplanes.

Two American crewmembers were rescued and one airman remains missing after a F-15E Strike Eagle went down over the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces and an A-10 Warthog crashed into the Gulf, according to US media reports.

Iranians took to the streets in Tehran to celebrate what authorities described as a major military success.

Iranian officials said the downing of the aircraft demonstrates that Tehran still has the capability to confront US and Israeli forces, despite the Trump administration’s claims that the country’s military infrastructure has been severely damaged.

The incidents mark a significant escalation in the conflict, with search and rescue operations under way for the missing US crewmember.

Here is what we know about the latest developments:

In Iran

• Major escalation: US forces are conducting search and rescue operations for a missing crewmember after Iran downed two American warplanes. A US Black Hawk helicopter involved in the search was also hit by Iranian fire but managed to remain airborne, according to US media reports.
• Defence system: Iran said a “new advanced defence system” downed the aircraft, contradicting earlier US claims that its air defences had been destroyed.
• Casualties and damage: The human toll continues to rise with at least 2,076 people killed and 26,500 wounded in Iran since the start of the war on February 28, according to Iranian authorities.

War diplomacy

• Diplomacy stalls: Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars on Friday reported that Tehran had rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire. The US did not confirm or comment on the report, which cited an unnamed source.
• War of words: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian questioned whether the US is sincere about diplomacy, accusing Washington of hypocrisy and asking the world to judge “which side engages in dialogue and negotiation, and which in terrorism” after a recent attack that killed the wife of a senior Iranian official.
• Appeal to world: Pezeshkian said he consulted Finland’s president over US President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages”, calling the remark a clear admission of intent to commit a “massive war crime” and warning the international community against remaining neutral.

In the Gulf

•  One killed at UAE gas site: An Egyptian national was killed and four others wounded after a fire at a gas complex in Abu Dhabi, caused by falling debris from an intercepted attack, the Government Media Office said.
• Kuwait reports strikes: Authorities said Iranian strikes hit an oil refinery and a desalination plant, though Tehran denied targeting the water facility.
• Drone interception in Bahrain: In Bahrain, the Ministry of Interior reported that four people were injured and several homes were damaged in the Sitra area after shrapnel fell from an intercepted Iranian drone.

In the US

• Trump briefed on downed plane, Iran hunts for pilot: Trump has been briefed about the downing of a military jet in Iran that has triggered a major search and rescue operation for a missing crewmember, the White House said. US media reported that another crewmember was rescued.

• Propaganda impact: Geopolitical analyst Phyllis Bennis said the downing of a US fighter jet and search for the missing airman could make it harder for the White House to maintain public support for the war, particularly among Trump’s MAGA base. The incident “changes the propaganda equation”, even if it does not change the military balance, she told Al Jazeera.

• Trump seeks $1.5 trillion defence budget: Trump asked lawmakers to approve a massive $1.5 trillion defence budget for 2027, as the US faces rising costs from its war with Iran and mounting global security commitments.

In Israel

• Strikes on Israel: Iran launched missile attacks on southern Israel, sparking a fire at an industrial site in the Negev region.
• Economic and societal toll: Simultaneous conflicts in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon have cost Israel an estimated $112bn, leading to significant cracks in the nation’s economy. Daily civilian life remains heavily disrupted, with schools across the country keeping their doors closed.
• Political shifts and public opinion: Despite the disruption, 78 percent of Jewish Israelis still support the war against Iran, though pollsters warn this backing could eventually erode. Amidst the ongoing conflict, the Israeli government has lurched further to the right, recently passing a record $271bn budget as well as a highly controversial death penalty law targeting Palestinians.

In Lebanon and Syria

•  Man killed in Syria: State media in Syria said Israeli fire killed a man in the Quneitra province in the country’s south near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
• Lebanon Front: Israel destroyed two critical bridges in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, while Hezbollah claimed responsibility for multiple missile strikes against Israeli soldiers and artillery in southern Lebanon.

Oil, energy and food

• Australia faces petrol shortages: Australia’s government urged motorists to fill their cars at city petrol stations ahead of any long road trips over the Easter holiday. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said hundreds of service stations in rural towns had run out of diesel nationally.
• Food prices rise: The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its Food Price Index, which measures the monthly changes in international prices of a basket of food commodities, rose 2.4 percent in March.
• Free bus rides in Pakistan: State-run public transport in Pakistan’s capital and most populous province will be free for the coming month, officials said Friday.

Celebrations in Tehran as Iran’s military says the strikes show its forces still have fighting capability against the US and Israel.

Iran’s armed forces claim that a U.S. fighter jet has been shot down over the country. According to Iranian state media, a U.S. F-35 was downed, although photos of the wreckage of a fighter on the ground point squarely to the aircraft involved being a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle — provided they are legitimate.

UPDATE: See latest info on the loss of the F-15E over Iran and the ongoing combat search and rescue operation at the bottom of this post.

A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters said today that an F-35 was brought down over the central part of the country by a new type of air defense system operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with little chance the pilot survived, Reuters reports. The F-15E carries two aircrew, while the F-35 is a single-seater. At this point, we have no firm indication of the fate of the crew if such an incident did indeed take place.

It also remains possible that the images of the wreckage have been manipulated, and we are dealing with misinformation. However, the photos appear genuine and are certainly consistent with parts of an F-15E, including one of the vertical tails, and parts of the wing and tail. There is also the possibility that the images derive from an earlier F-15E loss, which we will come to later.

Specifically, the tail seen here would indicate an aircraft assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath in England, based on its red band. This is one of the units that has been deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations for Epic Fury. The 494th FS has also been extremely active over the CENTCOM area of responsibility for many years.

We should also consider that the F-15E could have come down for multiple reasons other than being shot down by air defenses, as Iran claims. Potentially, the jet could have been hit and lost its tail and even part of its wing, before returning to safe airspace. That might sound incredible, but F-15s have done this before.

Iran might also be presenting some other F-15E wreckage. Iran has collected many wrecks of foreign aircraft over the years, but where this one would have come from is not clear.

Previous documented F-15E crashes in the Middle East or Afghanistan don’t involve aircraft from the 494th Fighter Squadron, as far as we can ascertain. Specifically, since Desert Storm (when the 48th Fighter Wing operated F-111s, not F-15Es), these (non-combat) losses occurred in Iraq (April 2003, 335th FS, 4th FW), Afghanistan (July 2009, 336th FS, 4th FW), and Libya (March 2011, 492nd FS, 48th FW).

Hours before the F-35 claim, the IRGC released a video of what it said showed the successful shootdown of a U.S. F-15 over Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz. In this case, they attributed the claimed shootdown to an unnamed advanced naval air defense system. The video shows the typical ground-based FLIR systems we have seen in use by air defenses in Yemen and, more recently, Iran. The video does not show the aircraft being struck, but it does show it maneuvering and releasing flares.

That claim was swiftly rebutted by CENTCOM.

At this point, it is unclear if these various incidents are connected, especially since the IRGC specifically identified an F-35 as being shot down, while the claimed Qeshm Island video and the apparent wreckage on the ground clearly show F-15s.

It should be recalled that three F-15Es were brought down over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident earlier in the campaign. CENTCOM confirmed that the six crew members involved ejected safely, and at least some of those remained in theater and have resumed combat operations. It was reported that the three Strike Eagles were brought down by a Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet, although many details of the incident remain unclear. At least one of these jets was from the 48th FW, so we cannot entirely rule out the possibility that we are seeing photos of wreckage from that incident here.

Last month, the IRCG claimed that a U.S. Air Force F-35A was hit over Iran, and U.S. officials confirmed the jet made an emergency landing, with the pilot having sustained shrapnel injuries. The IRGC released a video that they claimed shows the F-35 being hit by a missile, as seen through a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system that is identical to the kind in yesterday’s supposed footage of the shootdown.

There appear to have been near-misses for U.S. fighter jets operating over Iran, too. On March 26, videos emerged showing an apparent very close call for a U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet after it was targeted by what appears to have been an Iranian man-portable air defense system (MANPADS). The F/A-18 was conducting a low-level strafing run at the time.

Taken together, all these events underscore the persistent threat posed by Iranian air defenses, whatever is left of them. Despite claims from U.S. officials of aerial superiority over Iran, the continued risk from various air defense systems is something that we have repeatedly drawn attention to.

The apparent incident today comes amid continuing regional tensions, with Iran launching more attacks across the Middle East, including missile strikes targeting Israel and Bahrain, as well as a drone attack that set an oil refinery in Kuwait on fire.

We have approached CENTCOM, the Pentagon, and U.S. Air Forces in Europe for more information and will continue to update this story as more details emerge.

UPDATES:

UPDATE: 6:27 PM EST –

The video we showed earlier of Iranian law enforcement shooting at low-flying U.S. Black Hawk helicopters was geolocated to near Choram, Iran, about 70 miles north of the Persian Gulf in that country’s southwest.

UPDATE: 5:28 PM EST –

The White House has called a “lid,” meaning that Trump has no further scheduled public events or media engagements this evening. However, he and his national security team are reportedly still meeting as the search goes on for the missing F-15E aviator.

UPDATE: 5:28 PM EST –

In a brief Friday phone interview with The Independent, Trump declined to say what his course of action might be if the missing crew member of a downed F-15E is captured or harmed by Iran..

“Well, I can’t comment on it because — we hope that’s not going to happen,” the president stated before ending the call.

Trump gave little clarity on how the U.S. would respond if the missing pilot in Iran is harmed, saying only, “We hope that’s not going to happen,” and declining further comment.

Source: The Independent

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 5: 19 PM EST –

The House Armed Services Committee was “notified by the Pentagon on Friday that the status of the second F-15E Strike Eagle service member is NOT known,” the Hill reported on X.

NEWS: The House Armed Services Committee was notified by the Pentagon on Friday that the status of the second F-15E Strike Eagle service member is NOT known, a congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, told me @thehill @NewsNation

— Filip Timotija (@filip_timotija) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 5:11 PM EST –

Trump’s national security team is gathered at the White House, ABC News is reporting on X.

The president “has been working in the Oval Office or Oval Dining Room all day receiving updates,” the network added, citing a senior official.

There has been no public comments from Trump outside of social media posts, ABC noted.

A senior White House official tells me the President’s national security team is gathered at the White House.

Trump has been working in the Oval Office or Oval Dining Room all day receiving updates, the official adds.

No public comments from Trump outside of social media posts

— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 4:59 PM EST –

The Washington Post is also reporting that an A-10 was struck by incoming fire over Iran. The pilot “navigated the damaged plane to Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting and was subsequently rescued,” the publication stated.

In addition, it confirmed an earlier NBC report that two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search-and-rescue effort were also hit by Iranian fire. The Post added that the attack “injured U.S. personnel on board, though both aircraft have safely returned to their base.”

As we noted earlier in this story, The New York Times reported that an A-10 was shot down while Fox said that was inaccurate.

Neither the Pentagon nor CENTCOM have responded to requests for comment.

NEW: Two U.S. military aircraft were shot down in separate incidents Friday while conducting combat operations against Iran, setting off a frantic search-and-rescue effort that remains ongoing for one missing crew member, U.S. officials said. https://t.co/MTQavgZ90u

— Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 4:22 PM EST –

NBC News reports that two U.S. helicopters taking part in the recovery of the pilot of the downed F-15E were struck by Iranian fire, but that the troops are all safe.

UPDATE: 4:08 PM EST –

NBC News stated that in a brief phone interview, President Trump “refused to discuss the specifics of ongoing search and rescue efforts in Iran after an American jet was downed.”

However, he “expressed frustration about some of the coverage of what is plainly an intense and sensitive rescue operation,” the network reported.

Asked if today’s events will affect any negotiations with Iran, the president said it would not.

“No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war, Garrett,” he said.

UPDATE: 3:58 PM EST –

Now Fox News is pushing back against the New York Times story about the A-10 crash,

“An A-10 Warthog attack caught ‘enemy fire’ while a rescue operation for the U.S. crew member took place,” the network reported, citing “a well-placed source.”

We have reached out to CENTCOM, which has not responded to numerous requests for comment, for clarity on these claims.

UPDATE: 3:31 PM EST –

Video emerged purporting to show members of the Iranian Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA) firing small arms at Black Hawks flying at low altitude. While Newsmax reported that a Black Hawk was struck in Iran, it is unclear if it was during this engagement.

And here is the scene of the FARAJA (Iranian Law Enforcement Command) engagement with American Blackhawks at low altitude. One Blackhawk was confirmed hit by Iran. It was a catastrophic day for the United States; many more are to follow. pic.twitter.com/657Th0J4xI

— NEUTRINO (@ETERNALPHYSICS) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 3:25 PM EST –

Newsmax is now reporting that the Black Hawk was indeed hit and that the crew is accounted for and safe.

UPDATE: 3:15 PM EST –

Iran’s semi-official Fars news said Tehran has rejected a White House request for a 48-hour ceasefire.

“Assessments indicate that this proposal came after the escalation of the crisis in the region and serious problems for US military forces due to an incorrect estimate of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s military capabilities,” the outlet claimed. “Iran’s response to this proposal was not in writing, but rather a field response with continued heavy attacks.”

We have reached out to the White House for comment.

UPDATE: 3:03 PM EST –

The Pentagon has finally added Epic Fury to its online casualty database. To date, there have been 13 troops killed and another 365 wounded.

NEW: The Pentagon has finally added Operation Epic Fury to its online database of U.S. military casualties

As of April 3, a total of 365 have been wounded in action:

• Army = 247
• Navy = 63
• Marine = 19
• Air Force = 36

Death toll remains at 13https://t.co/VaC8OcXmDg

— Julia Jester (@JulesJester) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 2:58 PM EST –

The New York Times is reporting that an A-10 Warthog close support jet also crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday. The pilot was safely rescued, the newspaper stated, citing two anonymous officials.

“The A-10 Warthog attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz about the same time that an Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran,” according to the publication. 

UPDATE: 2:50 PM EST –

Israel suspended airstrikes in Iran amid the U.S. search and rescue effort after a F-15E fighter jet was downed on Friday, according to The Associated Press.

An Israeli official told the AP that the airstrikes were halted in areas “relevant” to the rescue effort.

UPDATE 2:35 PM EST –

Newsmax is reporting that in addition to the F-15E being downed and one of the pilots rescued, a Black Hawk helicopter taking part in CSAR operations may have been hit over Iran as well. While The War Zone cannot independently verify this, the claim highlights the dangerous nature of these operations.

Report from @CarlaBNewsmax: “One source tells me a Blackhawk may have also been hit over Iran while conducting rescue ops to find the second F-15 pilot. I’m told the Blackhawk was tailed by a trail of smoke as it crossed into southern Iraq from Iran today.” https://t.co/mByzZrwMZu

— Steve Lookner (@lookner) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 2:10 PM EST –

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the downing of the F-15E, Al Jazeera is reporting.

“He has been briefed,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, the White House told us.

The White House has confirmed President Trump has been briefed on the shooting down of a US fighter jet in Iran. It comes as Iranian state TV announced a reward for anyone who captures the US pilots alive.

US media reported one crew member has been rescued. Here’s what we know. pic.twitter.com/dNBnMcqVAn

— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 12:30 PM EST–

The critical nature and the huge challenges involved in mounting a CSAR operation in Iranian territory are something we discussed before the war began, as you can read about here.

Specifically, on the CSAR part, we highlighted:

The U.S. has the most advanced air combat capabilities on earth, but ‘shit happens,’ especially during war. Even the Houthis nearly downed U.S. fighter aircraft optimized to destroy enemy air defenses. But regardless of defenses and the state of Iran’s air defense overlay, putting Americans over Iran, and repeatedly over days and weeks, is a risk. Aircraft can malfunction, and mistakes can be made. When that happens, it will require even more risk to push combat search and rescue assets into the area to try to recover the crew. In other words, regardless of America’s outstanding air warfare capabilities, there is still a real risk involved in any operation over Iran.

And that is just what we’ve seen today.

As for CSAR operations and the packages of assets used to go in and pluck downed aircrews from deep inside contested territory, these can look different based on where the incident occurred, what the enemy’s capabilities are, what assets are available and intelligence at the time. These highly tailored groups of assets are tasked with one of the toughest missions imaginable, penetrating into potentially highly defended territory where, in some cases, even America’s most capable combat aircraft did not survive. This would likely be occurring when an enemy is on its highest alert and very active searching for the downed aircrew. In other words, they know you are coming. Executing these operations at night is ideal, but sometimes, daylight cannot be avoided, upping the danger.

The risks are immense as putting many more lives and assets, the latter of which could be more vulnerable than the one lost, at risk in order to rescue a small number or aircrew can cascade quickly into a much larger disaster. While the rotary-wing aircraft and the Pararescuemen (PJs) they carry are often the stars of the CSAR show, a huge array of assets participate in these operations to make them have the best chance at success. This includes C-130s working in the aerial refueling and support role that enables the rescue helicopters to get to their target area. Fixed-wing attack aircraft working in the ‘Sandy’ close air support role aimed at opening holes for helicopters at their landing zones and protecting them and the rescue party once on the ground. They are also a contingency in place if a rescue asset also goes down, buying that crew time until another asset in the rescue party can swoop in and grab them. In the modern era of warfare, drones, such a MQ-9 Reapers, can also be risked ahead of the CSAR force to gather intel and surveil the landing zone. Also knowing what took down the stranded aircrew’s aircraft can be a big help in seeing the rescue force gets in and out of the area safely, as well.

CSAR Training • A-10 Warthogs Fly Close Air Support

From there the list is endless. This package would often require a counter-air capability of fighters providing defense against aerial threats. F-22s, F-15s, F-16s, can all provide this depending on the level of threat in the area. The force would also need to be backed by suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) aircraft, such as F-16CJ/CMs or F-35As, that would work to suppress or destroy any pop-up surface-to-air missile threats. Then you have standoff jamming support aircraft to help all this survive and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) assets to coordinate the air battle and keep an eye out for threats. Then there are the tankers, lots and lots of tankers, to keep all this stuff in the air for a prolonged period of time. Beyond this sampling of aircraft, there are many more assets and capabilities all over the globe and in space that would support such an operation.

And this is just a snapshot of the USAF’s CSAR portfolio, the Navy and Marines have their own tactical recovery of aircrew and personnel (TRAP) packages.

In the case of an air war like the one over Iran, these tailored packages were well thought through in advance and CSAR sits alert at all times ready to go execute the mission. The longer it takes to get to the target area the lower chances the crew has of surviving and/or not being captured. This can be a game of minutes or hours, not days, but bringing all these assets together and getting them on the same page without making things worse does take some time. Considering what is at stake, CSAR crews move as fast as possible to get the mission in motion as they know their job only gets exponentially harder and more dangerous with time, as does evading enemy capture for the downed crew.

The big takeaway here is that these are extremely complex and highly-integrated operations, usually executed under very tight timelines.

UPDATE: 12:20 PM EST–

U.S. officials have confirmed to CBS News that one crew member from the F-15E downed over Iran has been rescued by American forces.

A search and rescue effort is ongoing for the other crew member, the same sources said. 

UPDATE: 12:00 PM EST–

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has apparently told CNN that President Trump has been briefed on the situation regarding the F-15E shootdown. We are still waiting to hear back from CENTCOM, the Pentagon, and U.S. Air Forces in Europe for anything more concrete on the incident.

President Trump has been briefed on the US fighter jet shot down over Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tells CNN

— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) April 3, 2026

In what may well turn out to be a separate incident, there are reports that a U.S. Air Force F-16 flying in an area around the Iraq-Iran border has squawked 7700, the universal, international transponder code used by aircraft to immediately alert Air Traffic Control (ATC) of a general emergency. We have again reached out to CENTCOM for more details.

A U.S. Air Force F-16CJ is flying out of Iran/Iraq airspace and has squawked 7700— the universal code for a general in-flight emergency, indicating the crew is dealing with a serious issue. https://t.co/De9S0gkjax

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 11:35 AM EST–

Very much unconfirmed at this stage is a report from N12 News in Israel, citing a Western source, who says that one of the two U.S. aircrew of the downed F-15E has been rescued.

N12 News’ Amit Segal reports, citing a Western source, that one of the two US crew members of the downed fighter jet has been rescued. https://t.co/fpB6JNTJgv

— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 11:30 AM EST–

We seem to have gotten an update on the earlier report that Iran was offering a bounty for the safe recovery of a U.S. pilot. Authorities are now reportedly offering a sum of around $60,000.

Iranian authorities are offering a reward of 10 billion tomans (~$60k) for the capture of the American F-15E aircrew downed earlier today.

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 3, 2026

The Iranian Mehr News Agency reports that a U.S. helicopter involved in the rescue effort was hit by some kind of Iranian projectile. It is unclear if the helicopter was brought down or if it is the same example that was reported as “attacked by air defense near the border and fled the scene.” Of course, this could be nothing more than propaganda. Although imagery reportedly showing a hit on the helicopter is circulating on social media, it is far from clear whether or not it is authentic.

UPDATE: 11:20 AM EST–

Videos also continue to emerge claiming to show HC-130Js operating over Iran, often at low level. In its official factsheet, the Air Force stresses that HC-130J crews “normally fly night, at low to medium altitude levels in contested or sensitive environments, both over land or overwater.” Such overt daytime flights would point to the particular urgency of this mission, but it is worth noting that the HC-130J is also well equipped with self-protection gear.

U.S. Air Force HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue plane overflying an Iranian countryside at ultra-low altitude during the ongoing operation to evacuate two American crew-member of the downed F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet. pic.twitter.com/CWc5SzokRT

— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) April 3, 2026

«جمعه ۱۴ فروردین ۱۵:۱۶. نزدیک جزیره خارگ. بعد از ما رفت سمت ایران و خارگ.» pic.twitter.com/lqYC2dhWYG

— مملکته (@mamlekate) April 3, 2026

Unverified for now are videos coming out of Iran that claim to show locals firing small arms at U.S. aircraft involved in the rescue effort.

UPDATE: 11:10 AM EST–

The Guardian appears to be one of the first major news outlets to report that the aircraft shot down was an F-15E, citing U.S. officials familiar with the situation who confirmed this fact off the record, and that the Pentagon was scrambling to find the crew.

The same has been reported by specialist press, including Air & Space Forces Magazine.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle was downed over Iran and combat search and rescue efforts are underway, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine. https://t.co/divbKi1VT0

— Chris Gordon (@ByChrisGordon) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 10:40 AM EST–

Multiple major news agencies, including CNN, the New York Times, and Reuters, are now reporting that a U.S. fighter jet has been shot down over Iran. The incident would mark the first time a U.S. aircraft has been shot down over Iran during the conflict — at least that we know about. 

According to CNN, three U.S. sources have confirmed Iranian state media reports. Reuters cites a single U.S. official.

CNN has geolocated some of the videos of CSAR efforts in the Khuzestan province in central Iran. One of the videos shows a bridge over the Karoon River, which is around 290 miles south of Tehran.

A US fighter jet has been shot down over Iran, three US sources said confirming Iranian state media reports.
US forces have launched search and rescue efforts, the sources said. Potential rescue efforts appeared to be captured in video posted to social media and geolocated by…

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) April 3, 2026

An unverified video said to be taken from the area of the rescue effort shows an A-10C attack jet. The A-10 is well-versed in the Sandy mission, a specialized CSAR role in which the jets provide close air support for downed aircrew and escort rescue helicopters.

UPDATE: 9:00 AM EST–

Citing Iranian media as well as an unnamed source familiar with the incident, Axios reports that Iran did shoot down a U.S. jet, and that a search and rescue effort is underway to locate two crew.

UPDATE: 8:50 AM EST–

At least some official Iranian media channels are now also reporting the U.S. military aircraft claimed shot down over the country earlier today as an F-15E, rather than an F-35.

🚨Iran has shot down an F-15E ‘Strike Eagle’ belonging to the 494th Fighter Squadron ‘LN’ based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom

Debris of the tail fin confirm the downing. The fate of the pilots is currently unclear. pic.twitter.com/onicosCPAp

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 8:35 AM EST–

Iranian television channels are apparently now broadcasting a message offering a reward from the regime for anyone who can capture the U.S. pilot alive.

UPDATE: 8:30 AM EST–

Additional videos, purportedly taken in Iran, appear to show a pair of HH-60 helicopters taking turns to refuel from an HC-130J.

Wild footage from a USAF C-130 fueling two helicopters over Iran shared by telegram channels. The cars & the dialect are Iranian and from southwest. pic.twitter.com/K9cufOOY26

— Ramin Khanizadeh (@RKhanizadeh) April 3, 2026

🚨Many people in southwestern Iran have gone to the area around the crash site of the American fighter jet in private cars to #capture the American pilot.

The Iranian armed forces have called on the people NOT TO LET anyone mistreat the pilot.

— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 8:15 AM EST–

Tasnim, the semi-official news agency in Iran associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claims that U.S. attempts to rescue a downed fighter pilot (singular) have failed. The agency says that this was confirmed to them by “news sources” in Kohgiluyeh. The report continues: “The Americans have been conducting search operations for hours using Black Hawk helicopters and a Hercules 130 aircraft to rescue their fighter pilot who was shot down by Iranian armed forces; however, their attempt has failed.”

One of the helicopters involved in the rescue effort was “attacked by air defense near the border and fled the scene,” Tasnim adds.

In a post on X, Tasnim claims: “Unconfirmed reports suggest that Iranian security forces have taken into custody the pilot of a U.S. F-35 fighter jet following its destruction by the country’s air defense system inside Iranian territory.”

Of course, all of these claims remain unverified at this point. It is also puzzling, to say the least, why Iranian reports are consistently identifying the jet as an F-35, while publishing photos of an F-15E.

Iranian Forces Capture F-35 Pilot After Downing Advanced US Warplane

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Iranian security forces have taken into custody the pilot of a US F-35 fighter jet following its destruction by the country’s air defense system inside Iranian territory. https://t.co/PiQDh7xoo9 pic.twitter.com/FK4OGROOYi

— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) April 3, 2026

Normally, CSAR operations would be kept under wraps until the crew was safe, but in our digital world that is no longer guaranteed. The US has well practiced and resourced procedures, but there is always the risk of losing more assets in the act of saving downed aircrew.🤞 https://t.co/zyDXqIueMP

— Greg Bagwell (@gregbagwell) April 3, 2026

Unverified footage suggests that the CSAR effort over Iran may also now be supported by F-35 fighters and MQ-9 Reaper drones.

NOW: F-35 jets and MQ-9 drones were also spotted supporting U.S. helicopters over Iran, searching for the pilots of downed F-15E jet. pic.twitter.com/1cpNQ7pJq0

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 3, 2026

UPDATE: 7:50 AM EST–

Unverified claims from Iranian sources, as well as imagery, suggest that the U.S. military may have staged an effort to rescue pilots from the downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran. Available imagery points to the use of C-130 and H-60 Black Hawk series aircraft. Specifically, U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue efforts typically rely upon the heavily modified HH-60 helicopters for extraction, HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for command and refueling, and highly specialized pararescuemen (PJs).

WATCH: U.S. C-130 Hercules reportedly flying very low over Iran, deploying flares.

The U.S. forces are highly likely searching the pilots of downed F-15E jet. pic.twitter.com/cPaQg29bOg

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 3, 2026

Also unverified, at this point, is the following image, which claims to show one of the two ejection seats from the downed F-15E.

The Iranians have found the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II (ACES II) ejection seat system employed in U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that crashed in Iran this morning.

The whereabouts of the F-15E’s two crew-members are still unknown. pic.twitter.com/Q2Fz558TBr

— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) April 3, 2026

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

When the US and Israel launched their joint offensive on Iran more than a month ago, Tehran moved quickly to block the Strait of Hormuz.

Since then, the Revolutionary Guard has allowed some vessels to transit. But the majority, about 3,000, are stranded.

And Iran is accused of holding the global economy hostage.

On Thursday, the UK hosted a meeting of 40 countries to discuss the situation.

The gathering yielded no concrete results, except for an acknowledgement that further consultations were needed.

So, how should the Strait of Hormuz and other vital shipping routes be governed in times of war?

Presenter: Rishaad Salamat

Guests:

Hassan Ahmadian – Associate professor at the University of Tehran

Rockford Weitz – Maritime studies programme director at Tufts University’s Fletcher School

Craig Murray – Maritime specialist and former maritime section head of the UK’s Foreign Office

WASHINGTON — A crew member was rescued after an American aircraft went down Friday in Iran, the Associated Press reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

U.S. forces launched a rescue mission in southwestern Iran after at least one American crew member ejected from a fighter jet downed by Iranian defenses, according to a U.S. official and news outlets.

The downing of the jet, an F-15E, was confirmed to The Times by a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. That type of jet reportedly carries a standard crew of two, but it was not clear if more than one crew member ejected.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained for weeks that the U.S. has “complete, uncontested control of Iranian airspace” after destroying the country’s air defenses.

“Iran has no air defenses, Iran has no air force,” he said at a March 13 Pentagon news conference. “Today, as we speak, we fly over the top of Iran and Tehran, fighters and bombers all day, picking targets as they choose, as our intelligence gets better and better and more refined.”

But the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that a new type of Iranian air defense system deployed for the first time in recent days had shot down a warplane on Friday.

The statements stirred a flurry of conflicting instructions from Iranian state-affiliated broadcasters. One local television channel initially encouraged viewers to search for the downed pilot and “shoot them as soon as you see them.”

It then changed the instructions, according to the Associated Press, after local police issued a statement asking the public to capture and turn in American pilots alive to security agencies to “receive a precious prize.”

On social media, Iranian accounts posted videos purporting to show helicopters searching for downed pilots in Iran’s western and southern provinces, according to a report from Fars News.

Fars also reported officials in Iran’s southwest were offering a “valuable reward” to anyone “who captures the American pilot alive.”

Images of a tail section posted on social media had markings indicating it was from the 48th Fighter Wing, which is based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, according to Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia, in an interview with NBC News.

U.S. and Israel escalate attacks on infrastructure

The development came as U.S. and Israeli forces escalated attacks on civilian sites and key infrastructure across Iran Friday, including strikes on residential buildings, health centers and Iran’s largest bridge, with President Trump warning that the U.S. “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran.”

On his social media, the president posted dramatic images of the smoldering B1 bridge, a towering cable-suspended viaduct that was severed in U.S.-Israel strikes late Thursday.

“The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow!” Trump wrote.

Connecting Tehran to the city of Karaj, the $400-million bridge was Iran’s largest, and was often regarded as one of the most prominent, expensive and complex engineering endeavors in the Middle East.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei labeled the attack a “war crime in the style of ISIS terrorism.” Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called the act a sign of moral collapse by “an enemy in disarray,” stating that such actions will not compel Iranians to surrender.

“Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America’s standing.”

The attacks come after Trump announced what he described as a two- to three-day “off-ramp” from hostilities, while simultaneously warning he would bring Iran “back to the Stone Ages” if it didn’t cede to U.S. demands.

Reports from Iranian state media and international monitoring groups indicate strikes have also hit homes, religious centers, universities and municipal infrastructure across multiple provinces, raising concerns among humanitarian organizations about the widening scope of targets.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that the U.S. and Israel have carried out routine attacks on Iranian healthcare facilities since March 1.

“WHO has verified over 20 attacks on health care in Iran, resulting in at least nine deaths, including that of an infectious diseases health worker and a member of the Iranian Red Crescent Society,” Tedros wrote on X.

Iran’s health ministry estimated about 2,076 people have been killed and 26,500 wounded by U.S.-Israeli attacks since fighting broke out Feb. 28. An estimated 1,300 have been killed in Lebanon, according to its health ministry, while more than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank.

Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and 19 Israeli service members have been reported dead in a five-week-old war that has triggered growing unease stateside.

A recent Pew Research Center survey conducted in late March found that most Americans opposed direct U.S. military involvement in a war with Iran. A separate Gallup poll reported declining approval for the administration’s handling of foreign policy.

Lawmakers in both parties have raised concerns about Israel’s influence in the Trump administration’s decision to enter a lengthy conflict, stoking debates over military aid and executive war powers.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that she plans to oppose future military aid to Israel, including for its Iron Dome defense systems. She argued that the Israeli government recently funded a $45-billion defense budget and is “well able” to bankroll its war without U.S. help.

“I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and U.S. law,” she said on X.

Iran hit desalination plant and oil refinery

Iran returned fire, again aiming at infrastructure targets operated by its Gulf neighbors. A series of airstrikes set Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on fire, the Associated Press reported, as Kuwaiti firefighters were working to knock down several blazes there.

Kuwait also reported that an Iranian attack significantly damaged a desalination plant, which supplies drinking water to the region.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Israel all scrambled to intercept incoming Iranian missiles Friday, according to reports, despite the Pentagon’s assurances that Iran’s military facilities and missile capacity have been largely wiped out.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire, the Associated Press reported.

The war has pushed Iran to tighten its grip over the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices soaring 50%, upending stock markets, and stirring supply chain disruptions that threaten to destabilize global food markets.

Americans felt the oil rally again this week, after Trump’s Wednesday address dashed investors’ hopes of a swift end to the conflict, sending U.S. crude prices up 11% Thursday and another half point on Friday.

Drone footage from Israel shows damage to a factory in Petah Tikva after debris from an intercepted Iranian missile struck the site. The attack comes as Israel says it continues to intercept incoming missiles, on the 35th day of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

It was ​not ⁠immediately clear how the vessel, which Marine Traffic tracking data shows is sailing south along the coast of Oman, secured safe passage.

A container ship belonging to French shipping giant CMA CGM has crossed ⁠⁠through the Strait of Hormuz, the first such passage by a Western vessel since Iran effectively closed the waterway, the Marine Traffic vessel website shows.

The Malta-flagged Kribi, owned by CMA CGM, crossed the Strait on April 2 and is the first French-owned vessel to ‌‌make it through the channel since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28.

It was not ⁠⁠immediately clear how the vessel, which the data shows is sailing south along the coast of Oman, secured safe passage.

There was no immediate comment from CMA CGM.

However, LSEG ⁠⁠shipping data showed the vessel on Thursday changed its destination to “Owner France”, ⁠⁠signalling to Iranian authorities the nationality ⁠⁠of its owner, before crossing the strait’s Iranian territorial waters.

The ship had originally been bound for Pointe-Noire in the Republic of ‌‌the Congo.

Only about 150 vessels, including tankers and container ships, have transited the strait since March 1, according to data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Most were linked to Iran and countries including China, India and Pakistan.

Beijing expressed “gratitude” on Tuesday after three of its ships passed through the strait, including two container ships on Monday belonging to state-owned shipping giant Cosco.

Energy crisis

Until the war led to the effective blocking of the Strait, it was the route for about a fifth of global oil and ⁠⁠liquefied natural gas supplies. As a result, fuel prices have skyrocketed worldwide.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump insisted that petrol prices would fall quickly once the war concluded, but offered no solution for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he invited sceptical US allies to do it themselves. He insisted that the war would be worth it.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday it would ⁠⁠be unrealistic to launch a military operation to open the strait, and ⁠⁠that only diplomatic efforts would work.

Macron has worked with European and other ⁠⁠allies to build a coalition to guarantee free passage through the strait once hostilities have stopped.

Meanwhile, writing in the US journal Foreign Affairs, Iran’s former top diplomat said that Tehran should make a deal with the United States to end the war by offering to curb its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.

Tehran could “declare victory and make a deal that both ends this conflict and prevents the next one,” wrote Mohammad Javad Zarif, foreign minister from 2013 to 2021.

NEW YORK — This is not the run up to the midterm elections that Republicans wanted.

A year and a half after winning the White House by promising to lower costs and end wars, Donald Trump is a wartime president overseeing surging energy costs and an escalating overseas conflict that many in his own party do not like.

He offered little clarity to a nation eager for answers this week during a prime-time address from the White House, his first since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran more than a month ago, simultaneously suggesting that the war was ending and expanding.

“Thanks to the progress we’ve made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” Trump said. “We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.”

Trump’s comments come roughly six months before voters across the nation begin to cast ballots in elections that will decide control of Congress and key governorships for Trump’s final two years in office. For now, Republicans, who control all branches of government in Washington, are bracing for a painful political backlash.

“You’re looking at an ugly November,” warned veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse. “At a point in time when we need every break possible to hold the House and Senate, our edge is being chipped away.”

Republicans confront evolving political landscape

It’s hard to overstate how dramatically the political landscape has shifted.

At this time last year, many Republican leaders believed there was a path to preserve their narrow House majority and easily hold the Senate. Now they privately concede that the House is all but lost and Democrats have a realistic shot at taking the Senate.

Republicans are also struggling to coalesce around a clear midterm message on Iran.

The Republican National Committee has largely avoided the war in talking points issued to surrogates over the last month. The leaders of the party’s campaign committees responsible for the House and Senate declined interview requests. Many vulnerable Republican candidates sidestep the issue, unwilling to defend or challenge Trump publicly.

The president remains deeply popular with Republican voters, and he has vocal supporters like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

“That was the best speech I could’ve hoped for,” he wrote on social media after Trump’s address on Wednesday evening. Graham said Trump “gave the American people a clear and coherent pathway forward.”

Trump made little effort to sell the conflict to Americans before the initial attack. Five weeks later, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed and hundreds more injured. Thousands more troops have converged on the region, and the Pentagon requested $200 billion in new funding.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for a fifth of the world’s oil, remains closed. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. was $4.08 on Thursday, according to AAA, almost a full dollar higher than on President Joe Biden’s last day in office.

On Wednesday, Trump insisted that gas prices would fall quickly once the war concluded but offered no solution for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he invited skeptical U.S. allies to do it themselves.

He insisted that the war would be worth it.

“This is a true investment in your grandchildren and your grandchildren’s future,” Trump said. “When it’s all over, the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous and greater than it has ever been before.”

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who was once among Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress, lashed out against his Iran policy.

“I wanted so much for President Trump to put America First. That’s what I believed he would do. All I heard from his speech tonight was WAR WAR WAR,” she wrote on social media. “Nothing to lower the cost of living for Americans.”

Time is not on Trump’s side

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say the U.S. military action in Iran has “gone too far,” according to AP-NORC polling from March. Roughly a third approve of how he’s handling Iran overall.

The possibility of sending U.S. forces into Iran also appears politically unpalatable.

About 6 in 10 adults are “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed to deploying U.S. troops on the ground to fight Iran. That includes about half of Republicans. Only about 1 in 10 favor deploying troops.

At the same time, Trump’s approval ratings have remained consistently weak. About 4 in 10 Americans approve of how he’s handling the presidency, roughly in line with how it’s been throughout his second term.

Republican strategist Ari Fleischer, a senior aide in former President George W. Bush’s administration, acknowledged that Trump has not received the polling bump in this war that Bush got after invading Iraq.

Bush, of course, worked to build public backing for the Iraq War before going in. Immediately after the 2003 invasion, Bush’s popularity soared, as did the stock market.

Public sentiment and the economy soured only after the conflict stretched on. It ultimately spanned more than eight years, spawning a generation of anti-war Republicans — and sowing the seeds of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.

“My hope is that the Trump experience is the exact opposite of the Bush experience,” Fleischer said.

He said Trump must win the war decisively and quickly to avoid a further backlash, saying there could be a “very significant political upside if things end well, oil comes down and markets rally.”

Fleischer added that Trump’s actions will matter much more than his words.

“Ultimately, he is not going to get judged on his persuasion or his explanations or his assertions, he’s going to get judged on results,” he said.

Peoples writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.

For decades, leaders who were responsible for war crimes tended to plead ignorance or insist it was a mistake and their hands were clean. What has changed in the Middle East is the swaggering contempt we have seen from the United States, Israel and Iran as they instead dismiss, mock or flout the international laws protecting civilians. If the international community does not urgently reassert support for those norms, it may be acquiescing to their destruction.

US President Donald Trump, who told The New York Times he doesn’t “need international law” and the only restraint on his power was his “own morality”, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has dismissed “tepid legality” in favour of “maximum lethality”, have expressed little regard publicly for the safety of civilians  affected by the US-Israeli war on Iran, which just entered its second month.

After announcing that the US had “demolished” Iran’s Kharg Island, Trump told NBC News, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.” Hegseth has declared that “no quarter” would be given to enemies in Iran. That phrase indicates troops are free to kill those seeking to surrender rather than capture them. Such scenarios have served as a textbook example of a war crime in US military academies.

The Trump administration is not alone in this regard. In language eerily reminiscent of the war in Gaza, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has threatened to demolish homes across southern Lebanon and block hundreds of thousands of civilians from returning.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared US banks, investment firms and commercial ships valid targets despite their civilian status. Its spokesman warned Iranians that any street protests would be met with “an even harsher blow” than the January massacres, in which security forces killed thousands across the country. A state television presenter was more direct, saying opponents in the diaspora would face consequences that would see their “mothers sit in mourning”.

These statements are worthy of our attention not only because they telegraph a blatant disregard for civilian life but also because these leaders seem to mean it.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran, more than 1,200 in Lebanon, and 17 in Israel. Altogether, several million people across the Gulf, Israel and Lebanon have been displaced or forced to flee from their homes. Based on a preliminary US military report, US forces were responsible for a deadly attack on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, in which more than 170 children and staff were killed.

The Israeli military has fired white phosphorus, which can burn to the bone, on Lebanese homes despite a clear prohibition on its use as a weapon in populated areas. Iran has launched internationally banned cluster munitions at Israeli cities and attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The international legal system, designed to protect civilians during armed conflict, did not falter overnight. Unflinching US support for Israel as it carried out acts of genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza, destroyed its hospitals and water systems, carried out countless air strikes that turned neighbourhoods into rubble and killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians over two and a half years contributed to a sense that some leaders would always be above the law.

Those double standards are alive and well, profoundly corroding respect for international law. When Iran struck Gulf energy infrastructure, condemnation rightly came within hours. But when Israel unlawfully dropped white phosphorus on Lebanese neighbourhoods, the same governments went quiet. Leaders need to say, with equal specificity and force, that attacks on Iranian power plants, Lebanese homes and Gulf civilian facilities are violations of the laws of war, regardless of who the perpetrator is. Otherwise, the rules are just a cudgel for punishing rivals.

The Geneva Conventions oblige every country not merely to follow the laws of war but also ensure global respect for them, including by refusing to arm forces credibly accused of violating them.

Yet arms continue to flow to belligerents on multiple sides of these conflicts with no apparent review of the likely impact. European governments that supply weapons or grant overflight and basing rights to forces unlawfully bombing civilians are not bystanders. If the actions of US and Israeli forces match the irresponsible rhetoric of their leaders, countries that arm or assist them could very well find themselves complicit in war crimes.

As during the war in the former Yugoslavia or more recently in Ukraine, the machinery of documentation and accountability needs to occur while the conflict is ongoing, not afterwards. Today, warring parties in the Middle East are working to prevent exactly that. Iran has imposed a nationwide internet shutdown and jailed people for sharing strike footage. Israel has banned live broadcasts and detained journalists. Gulf states have arrested citizens for posting images online. In the US, the Federal Communications Commission has threatened broadcasters’ licences over coverage of the war on Iran unfavourable to the Trump administration.

Governments with developed intelligence capabilities should be preserving and sharing evidence of war crimes right now: satellite imagery, communications intercepts, open-source footage. UN investigative bodies need immediate additional resources. And governments need to speak out clearly on the importance of justice for war crimes.

If this work waits until the shooting stops, the evidence may be gone, and the political will for accountability may quickly shift focus. The belligerents know it. They may even be counting on it.

The leaders repudiating the laws of war today may think they will gain from a world without rules, where brute force settles every question and all civilian harm is just written off as collateral damage. But by dismissing the principle of nonreciprocity, which makes clear that one side’s violations do not justify noncompliance by the other, they have spurred rounds of tit-for-tat strikes that put their own troops as well as their civilian populations in harm’s way.

Those who see the value of the existing system curbing the barbarity of war need to stand up for it. Otherwise, they may one day find themselves forced to explain to future generations why they did nothing while it burned.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

The United States and Israel have carried out multiple attacks on medical facilities in the course of their war on Iran.

On Thursday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appealed to international health organisations to respond to attacks on medical facilities in Iran, including the Pasteur Institute in capital Tehran, a key centre that Iranian officials said had been targeted that day.

At least 2,076 people have been killed and 26,500 have been wounded in Iran since the US and Israel first launched strikes on the country on February 28.

Here is a closer look at how the US and Israel have hit healthcare facilities in Iran.

What has the Iranian president said about attacks on healthcare?

On Thursday, Pezeshkian wrote in an X post: “What message does attacking hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and the Pasteur Institute as a medical research center in Iran convey?”

The Iranian president, 71, a heart surgeon by profession, continued: “As a specialist physician, I urge WHO [the World Health Organization], the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and physicians worldwide to respond to this crime against humanity.”

What is the Pasteur Institute, which has been targeted?

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote in an X post: “The American-Israeli aggressors have attacked the Pasteur Institute of Iran – the oldest and most prestigious research and public health centre in Iran and the entire Middle East, founded in 1920 through an agreement between the Pasteur Institute of Paris and the Iranian government.”

Baghaei deemed the attack “heartbreaking, cruel, despicable, and utterly outrageous”.

He did not specify whether there were casualties from the attack.

The institute was founded more than 100 years ago in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur in Paris, an internationally renowned centre for biomedical research, which itself was founded in 1887.

The institute in Iran conducts research on infectious diseases, produces vaccines and biological products and provides advanced diagnostics.

The centre has played a central role in fighting endemic diseases such as smallpox and cholera. It also supports Iran’s national immunisation programme by developing and producing vaccines and related biologicals – including those used against diseases such as tetanus, hepatitis B and measles.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, wrote in an X post on Friday that two departments of the Pasteur Institute of Iran have also been working closely with the WHO.

“The conflict in Iran, and the region, is impacting the delivery of health services and the safety of health workers, patients, and civilians present at health facilities,” Ghebreyesus wrote.

Which other healthcare facilities have been hit in Iran?

“Since 1 March, WHO has verified over 20 attacks on health care in Iran, resulting in at least nine deaths, including that of an infectious diseases health worker and a member of the Iranian Red Crescent Society,” Ghebreyesus wrote in his X post.

Some of the facilities hit include:

Red Crescent warehouse

On Friday morning, a drone strike hit a Red Crescent relief warehouse in Iran’s Bushehr province.

While no casualties were reported, the attack destroyed two relief containers, two buses and emergency vehicles, Fars news agency reported.

Tofigh Daru

On March 31, Israeli-US strikes hit one of Iran’s largest pharmaceutical companies in Tehran, the Iranian government said in a post on X.

The company was later identified as Tofigh Daru Research and Engineering Company, which is owned by the Social Security Investment Company, a state-run holding firm. On LinkedIn, Tofigh Daru states that it develops and produces active pharmaceutical ingredients “in the anticancer, narcotics, cardiovascular to immunomodulatory segments”.

No confirmed casualty numbers were reported from that strike.

Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital

This newly constructed hospital in Tehran was significantly damaged during an attack on the capital on March 29, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

About 30 patients were in the hospital at the time of the strike late on Monday, the hospital’s director told IRNA. No specific casualty figures for the hospital have been reported.

Ali Hospital

The hospital in Andimeshk in Iran’s Khuzestan province sustained damage from an explosion on March 21, according to the Mehr and Fars news agencies.

In his post on Friday, Ghebreyesus confirmed this attack and said the facility had been forced to evacuate staff and cease services.

Reports about the attack do not mention casualties at the hospital.

Gandhi Hospital

On March 2, Gandhi Hospital in Tehran was damaged during attacks on a television communications tower nearby.

No confirmed casualty figures were reported for the hospital itself.

What does international law say about attacks on healthcare?

International humanitarian law states that health establishments and units, including hospitals, should not be attacked, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

These protections also apply to the sick and wounded, to medical staff and to means of transport such as ambulances.

In 2016, the United Nations Security Council resolution 2286 was adopted unanimously. This condemns attacks on healthcare and calls on nations to respect international law.

However, last year record attacks on healthcare during armed conflict were recorded, according to the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA).

The SSA said that in armed conflicts worldwide, 1,348 attacks on medical facilities resulted in the killing of 1,981 people. The majority of these deaths were in Sudan, where 1,620 people were killed, followed by Myanmar, where 148 people were killed.

This was a sharp uptick from 2024, when 944 patients and medical personnel were killed in armed conflict.

Where else has Israel targeted medical staff and facilities?

Lebanon

Besides Iran, Israeli attacks have also targeted healthcare facilities in Lebanon.

A month into its latest bombardment of Lebanon, Israel has killed 53 medical workers, destroyed 87 ambulances or medical centres, and forced the closure of five hospitals, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.

“Israeli strikes and blanket evacuation orders are cutting people off from care and shrinking the space for health services to function,” Luna Hammad, the Lebanon medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), told Al Jazeera, adding that MSF has seen “a documented pattern of attacks affecting healthcare”.

Gaza

Throughout its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel has also attacked healthcare facilities in the Palestinian enclave.

In October 2023, hundreds of people sheltering in the car park of Gaza’s al-Ahli Hospital were killed in an Israeli attack, according to Palestinian health officials.

Israel attributed the explosion at the facility to a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an allegation denied by the armed group.

In March 2024, the Israeli military said it killed 90 people in its raid on al-Shifa Hospital during a siege, as displaced Palestinians sheltering in the facility described long detentions and abuse.

In December 2024, the Israeli army arrested Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, after refusing to follow orders to abandon one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza. His arrest came a day after the military killed approximately 20 Palestinians and apprehended about 240 in a raid inside the hospital, which was one of the “largest operations” conducted in the territory until that time.

In March 2025, Israeli forces reportedly shot dead 15 Palestinian medics for the Palestine Red Crescent Society and inside clearly identifiable PRCS ambulances, during a rescue mission in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood.

Islamabad, Pakistan – At the start of this year, Pakistan had more imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) than it could use. Demand had been falling for three straight years, from a peak of 8.2 million tonnes in 2021 to 6.1 million tonnes by late 2025, as cheap solar panels flooded the market and factories cut back.

The government quietly sold excess gas shipments to other countries and shut down domestic gas wells to prevent pipelines from bursting under the pressure of oversupply. Gas that could not be diverted would be pushed into household networks at a financial loss, adding billions to an already crippling debt pile in the energy sector.

Then the war came. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched hundreds of strikes against Iran in an operation named Epic Fury. The strikes targeted Iranian missiles, air defences, military infrastructure and leadership. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening assault.

Iran retaliated by firing hundreds of missiles and drones across the region, and as a result, traffic passing the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes, almost came to a halt.

The energy consequences were immediate. As a part of its retaliation against US-Israeli attacks, on March 2, Iranian drones hit Qatar’s gas facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world’s largest LNG export complex.

Qatar, the world’s second-largest LNG exporter after the United States, halted all production and declared force majeure, a legal term meaning it was released from delivery obligations due to circumstances beyond its control.

The conflict escalated further on March 18, when Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field, the largest in the world, off Iran’s southern coast.

South Pars and Qatar’s North Field sit above the same underground reservoir, meaning the attack threatened both countries’ gas production simultaneously. Iran struck Ras Laffan again in retaliation.

QatarEnergy said that the hit had forced it to cut LNG production by 17 percent, with repairs expected to take up to five years.

Brent crude, the industry benchmark, was priced at more than $109 a barrel on Thursday,

Oil prices on Thursday climbed to $109 a barrel, while European gas prices jumped 6 percent in a single trading session.

For Pakistan, which secures nearly all its imported gas from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and holds no emergency reserves, the shift from surplus to shortage happened almost overnight.

A system built on imports

Pakistan meets its daily gas needs from three main sources. The bulk, about 2,700 million cubic feet per day, comes from domestic gas fields that have been in slow decline for years.

The rest comes from imported LNG, supplied by Qatar under long-term contracts, adding roughly 600 million cubic feet per day when shipments flow normally.

The third source is bottled LPG, used mainly by households in rural areas not connected to the pipeline network. Pakistan gets more than 60 percent of its LPG from Iran, a supply also disrupted by the conflict.

Pakistan began importing LNG in 2015 when domestic production could no longer meet demand. Today, imported LNG powers roughly a quarter of the country’s electricity, with the power sector its largest consumer.

Qatar and the UAE together account for 99 percent of Pakistan’s LNG imports, according to energy analytics firm Kpler.

Of that, Pakistan’s LNG supply is dominated by two long-term government-to-government agreements with Qatar, one spanning 15 years and the other 10. Together, they cover nine shipments a month.

From glut to scarcity

Monthly cargo data from Pakistan’s energy regulator, OGRA, reflects the impact of the war. The country received between eight and 12 LNG shipments a month through 2025 and into early 2026, with 12 arriving in January alone. In March, the month the war began, only two shipments arrived.

Prices have been affected too. According to data compiled by researcher Manzoor Ahmed of the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED), on February 13, state-owned entities Pakistan State Oil and Pakistan LNG Limited procured eight combined cargoes at an average cost of $10.47 per MMBtu, totalling $257.1m.

MMBtu is the standard international unit used to measure and price natural gas and LNG.

By March 12, the two cargoes that did arrive cost $12.49 per MMBtu, a 19 percent increase in a month, reflecting tightening global conditions even before the war’s full impact.

Pakistan had already been consuming less gas. Its share of Asian LNG markets fell from roughly 30 percent in 2020 to about 18 percent in 2025, driven largely by the rapid expansion of solar power. Millions of Pakistanis, frustrated by high electricity costs and frequent blackouts, have installed rooftop panels in recent years.

By 2025, the country had 34 gigawatts of solar capacity, with an estimated 25 gigawatts feeding into the national grid. Overall electricity demand from the grid fell nearly 11 percent between 2022 and 2025.

Gas-fired power plants built to run on imported LNG were left underutilised, especially during daylight hours.

“Of course, solarisation helps manage daytime demand, reducing the need for running thermal power plants,” said Haneea Isaad, an energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), who has tracked Pakistan’s gas sector for years.

But the contracts with overseas gas suppliers still needed to be adhered to — so Pakistan kept buying and paying, she told Al Jazeera.

Ahmed of PRIED pointed to two compounding challenges. First, the nature of Pakistan’s gas supply contracts were such that the government had to “buy LNG even when demand collapsed,” he told Al Jazeera.

Second, “rapid solar growth and suppressed grid demand were underestimated, and their effect on overall planning was not accounted for,” the Islamabad-based analyst added.

LNG consumption dropped by 1.21 million tonnes in 2025 alone. With no large storage capacity, surplus gas was pushed into domestic pipelines at a loss.

The resulting circular debt in the gas sector now stands at 3.3 trillion rupees, approximately $11bn. By January, Islamabad was negotiating to offload 177 unwanted gas shipments projected through 2031, a liability of $5.6bn.

Isaad of IEEFA said the surplus was predictable.

“Pakistan’s energy planning has mostly been bound by long-term contracts with very little flexibility,” she said. Once considered necessary for energy security, these rigid contracts, she added, have become a financial albatross in a market increasingly prioritising flexibility and low-cost generation.

She described the government’s pre-war response, diverting excess cargoes, as “reactive crisis management” that prioritised short-term fixes over better forecasting and procurement flexibility.

Supply shock

Qatar’s LNG shipments to Pakistan have stopped almost completely since March 2. Of the eight shipments scheduled that month, only two arrived. The six expected in April are unlikely to reach the country.

At a public hearing of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, Central Power Purchasing Agency chief executive Rehan Akhtar said LNG supplies were under force majeure, though coal imports from South Africa and Indonesia remained unaffected.

Officials have warned of near-zero LNG availability in the coming months, even if the war ends quickly. LNG accounts for more than 21 percent of Pakistan’s power generation.

“With Pakistan’s LNG supply completely halted after Qatar’s declaration of force majeure, LNG plants are effectively out of the running order,” Isaad said.

The government has responded by restoring domestic gas production that had been deliberately curtailed during the surplus period.

Isaad said Pakistan had been holding back roughly 350 to 400 million cubic feet per day of domestic gas to accommodate LNG imports.

“There will also be the option to rely on other power generation sources such as imported coal and hydropower,” she added. But, she warned, “even with hydropower, imported coal and restored domestic gas production covering some of the gaps left by LNG, there might still be an energy shortage.”

For now, mild weather and increased solar output have provided temporary relief.

“So far, Pakistan has somehow miraculously survived any prolonged energy shortages in the power sector through a combination of mild weather and a pre-existing reduced reliance on imported LNG,” Isaad said. “But peak summer months may be a different story.”

Summer pressure

With an energy crisis looming, Pakistan is bracing for a few hours of daily planned power cuts this summer, alongside other energy conservation measures and higher electricity costs.

According to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s State of Industry Report 2025, peak electricity demand last summer exceeded 33,000 megawatts.

Winter demand currently stands at about 15,000 megawatts, partly because solar panels now generate between 9,000 and 10,000 megawatts daily, reducing reliance on the grid.

Furnace oil, the main backup fuel, now costs 35 rupees per unit, about $0.12, and its price has more than doubled since the Strait of Hormuz disruption.

Analysts say the burden will fall unevenly. Consumers reliant on grid electricity will face both higher bills and outages, while industries dependent on gas will see production disruptions. Those with rooftop solar and battery storage will be best insulated.

Isaad is blunt about the options before Pakistan. “Returning to the spot market might not be feasible, given the dire financial consequences,” she said. “Even if it does, competition with wealthier nations may once again price Pakistan out. Furnace oil could be another option, but that will be prohibitively expensive to run.

“The only option the government may be left with is load-shedding [planned power blackouts], probably around two to three hours daily.”

Trump steps up threats after US strike on Iran’s largest bridge, as Tehran launches attacks across the region.

Iran says it is ready to counter any US-Israeli attacks, insisting its military capabilities remain intact despite Donald Trump’s claims they’ve been ‘decimated.’

Fuel shocks from the US-Israel war on Iran are rippling worldwide, as Strait of Hormuz disruptions push prices higher. From Nigeria to Vietnam and India, workers face soaring costs, longer hours and lost jobs amid a deepening global energy crisis.

Pope Leo washed the feet of 12 priests in a Holy Thursday ritual, using the moment to urge Catholics to stand with the oppressed. His remarks come after he criticised the Trump administration on the Iran war and called for an end to the fighting.

HOLIDAYMAKERS could get stuck abroad this summer as up to 10 per cent of flights face cancellation if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary warned.

And the budget airline kingpin said that holidaymakers should book as soon as possible to avoid paying far higher prices.

The price of jet fuel has skyrocketed since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has left the vital shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz blocked.

Speaking to ITV News, the airline chief revealed that between five and 10 per cent of flights in May, June and July could be cancelled if the Strait remains closed.

The Ryanair chief explained: “We have aircraft that are based at 95 airports across Europe.

“And we’ll have to cancel routes at whichever airport where the fuel company advises us they’re short of jet fuel at, say, Malaga Airport or Athens Airport.

“It’ll be those kind of decisions. And we’ll get very little notice – we’ll be told, I think, within five or seven days.

“So we will then be looking around and we will be trying to ground one or two aircraft and minimise inconvenience for customers. But it’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be challenging.”

O’Leary admitted that some holidaymakers may get stuck abroad due to flight cancellations, but noted that airlines have a responsibility to get you home.

He said: “Now, you won’t get compensation because it’s clearly beyond the airline’s control, but we will – and in Ryanair’s case we have lots of flights on a daily basis – we will re-accommodate you and get you back.

“You might be stuck for a day or two, but if you’re staying within Europe, you should be reasonably confident.”

Asked if it would be a “gamble” to book a summer holiday, O’Leary admitted “life is a gamble”.

He continued: “I think we’re looking at the risk of five or 10 per cent of cancellations in June or July, but 90 to 95 percent of flights will still operate.

“So, I think you’re really not taking much of a gamble. I would be much more concerned if you delay your booking, that actually you and your family will be paying much higher prices if you get to May, June, or July.”

The blame for any cancellations should be laid at the feet of the US President, not the airlines, the Irish airline boss added.

He added: “There doesn’t seem to be any exit plan at all. But we are where we are, blaming Trump is not going to get us anywhere.”

O’Leary said that this would be an “unknown scenario” for the airline industry and that “the sooner this war is over, the better”.

The new comments from the airline boss come after he said yesterday that jet fuel supplies could be disrupted as soon as May due to the new crisis in the Middle East.

Speaking to Sky News, the airline chief revealed that while Ryanair is “reasonably well hedged” on 80 per cent of its fuel, the company is being forced to shell out nearly double for the remaining 20 per cent.

O’Leary confirmed the airline is paying around $150 (€130) a barrel for the unhedged portion of its supplies.

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday, as the United States wages a war against Iran.

A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed that George has been asked to take early retirement from the post of Army chief of staff, which he has held since August 2023.

The ouster of George is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he first took office last year.

CBS News was first to report the ouster.

George is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022, during the Biden administration, before taking on top leadership roles in the Army.

George survived the initial round of firings last February, which saw the removal of top military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Silfe, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force, by Hegseth. President Donald Trump also fired Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the same time.

Since then, more than a dozen other top military generals and admirals have either retired early or been removed from their posts.

Among these departures was George’s deputy, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. James Mingus, who was in the post for less than two years when Trump suddenly nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve for the position. LaNeve was then serving as Hegseth’s top military aide, having been plucked for that post from commanding the Eighth Army in South Korea after less than a year in the job.

Toropin writes for the Associated Press.