LIVE: Two downed US pilots on the run in Iran

A US official has confirmed a search and rescue mission is underway in Iran where two American aircrew are on the run with a bounty on offer for their capture.

It confirms Iranian reports an American warplane was shot down earlier today, marking the first time an enemy aircraft has been downed since the start of the war.

Pictures of an ejection seat have been displayed by Iran after the US F-15 fighter jet was brought down with the whereabouts of two pilots currently unknown.

While a US official has confirmed a mission to locate the crew is underway, the Pentagon and US Central Command have yet to comment.

Iranian state media also released images purportedly showing debris from the downed US aircraft, while videos circulating on social media appeared to show American jets flying low for a search-and-rescue operation.

Iranian tribes are trying to shoot down US helicopters with bolt-action rifles as the search is underway for two missing aircrew whose warplane was shot down earlier today, Iranian media is reporting.

The Tehran Times, an English language newspaper published in Tehran, has released footage purporting to show armed tribes firing weapons at a low lying helicopter.

It comes after Iranian civilians were urged to help bring in the missing pilots dead or alive for a ‘valuable reward’ and ‘shoot them if you see them,’ in reference to US aircrafts flying low in the region.

Iran’s president has questioned whether Donald Trump is intent on carrying out a ‘massive war crime’ over his threat to bomb Tehran back to the ‘Stone Age’.

Masoud Pezeshkian made the suggestion following a conversation he had with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, whom has also spoken to Trump in recent days.

He wrote on X: ‘Does threatening to send an entire nation back to the Stone Age mean anything other than a massive war crime?

‘This was the question I asked my Finnish counterpart, who is a jurist. History is full of those who paid a heavy price for their silence in the face of criminals.’

Iranian television has urged local residents in Southern Iran to hunt down and hand over the ‘enemy pilot’ to regime authorities.

According to the Associated Press, the channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region.

‘Dear and honourable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus,’ an Iranian reporter said.

Viewers were also told to ‘shoot them if you see them,’ referring to US aircrafts flying low in the region in an apparent search for the crew members.

Iran’s military has also launched an operation to find the crew along with the US search and rescue mission.

A photo has emerged of an ejection seat as the whereabouts or status of the F-15 crew currently remains unknown.

US media are reporting a search and rescue effort is taking place following Iran’s claims a warplane was shot down earlier today.

The Iranian regime has previously made a series of false claims about shooting down piloted US planes.

However, today marks the first time state media has called on the public to look for the suspected American pilots.

If the regime did successfully shoot down a fighter jet, it would mark a major escalation in the war.

The Daily Mail has has contacted the Pentagon for comment.

Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed most of Iran’s steel production has been destroyed after the US and Israel targeted facilities.

In a new video posted today, Netanyahu said: ‘Together with our American friends, we continue to crush the terror regime in Iran. We are eliminating commanders, bombing bridges, bombing infrastructure.

‘In recent days, the Air Force has destroyed 70% of Iran’s steel production capacity. This is a tremendous achievement that deprives the Revolutionary Guards of both financial sources and the ability to produce a large number of weapons.

‘In full coordination between myself and President Trump, between the IDF and the United States Army, we will continue to crush Iran. This regime is weaker than ever—Israel is stronger than ever.’

Video showing the supposed rescue effort has aired on Iranian television

A US media outlet is now reporting Iran has shot down a US fighter jet with a search and rescue effort underway to locate two missing crew.

According to Axios, it marks the first time since the beginning of the Iran war that a US jet was downed by enemy fire.

The US military and the White House have not immediately responded to requests for comment.

The White House has sent a spending proposal calling for a huge $1.5 trillion US defense budget next year as it faces increased costs due to the war in Iran.

The total year-on-year increase in Pentagon spending would be the largest since World War II, US media reported, although presidential budgets are wish lists that have to be approved by Congress, rather than binding orders.

‘The budget builds upon the historic $1 trillion overall defense topline for 2026 and requests $1.5 trillion in total budgetary resources for 2027,’ the document reads.

‘This is a $445 billion, or 42 percent, increase from the 2026 total resource level.’

Iran has aired footage of an alleged US search and rescue effort amid claims an American warplane was shot down over the country earlier today.

Iranian television channels have shared video of a helicopter said to be flying low over the countryside across southern Iran apparently trying to locate the pilot.

It comes after Iranian military earlier today claimed it has brought down a F-35 fighter jet and forced it to crash.

However, pictures posted by Iranian media of the wreckage appeared to match an F-15 Strike Eagle aircraft based at a British RAF base.

The US military and the White House have not immediately responded to requests for comment.

President Donald Trump on Friday said the US can ‘open’ the Strait of Hormuz and ‘take the oil’ if it has more time.

‘With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???’ Trump posted.

The message, on his Truth Social platform, did not explain how the US could end Iranian control over the Hormuz waterway or what oil Trump was referring to.

by Phillip Nieto, US Political Reporter

Iranian state media has urged civilians to capture American pilots after the regime claimed it shot down a US fighter jet.

The Iranian state-run Mehr News agency aired footage on Friday of a female anchor calling on civilians to help capture pilots of an American F-15E Strike Eagle that the regime says was allegedly shot down over Southern Iran.

Axios confirmed on Friday that Iran had shot down the fighter jet, citing Iranian media and a source familiar with the incident, and reported that a search-and-rescue operation is underway to locate the two crew members.

An American pilot of a warplane that was apparently shot down by Iran has likely been captured by Tehran, Iranian state media is reporting.

The Tasnim news agency is reporting the pilot ejected and landed in central Iran this morning. According to Iranian media, the US military attempted to extract the pilot before he was likely captured.

Iran earlier claimed it has shot down a second F-35 plane after it forced one to make an emergency landing in the Middle East on March 19.

US military has yet to comment on the claim but has regularly debunked Iran’s claims including boasts another warplane was shot down over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.