U.S. fighter jet went down over Iran, search and rescue mission underway, officials say

A search was underway Friday after a two-seater F-15 fighter jet went down over Iran, according to two U.S. officials.

The rescue mission follows hours of reporting by Iranian state media of a downed U.S. fighter jet. Iran’s media published photos alongside claims from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that it had shot down the aircraft.

The fate of those inside the jet was not immediately clear. But one official in Iran’s southwest issued a public plea for locals to find them and promised a reward, according to official and semi-official Iranian news organizations.

The incident is the latest dramatic development in the war, now more than a month old.

President Donald Trump has declared success and pressured Iran to agree to a deal to end the conflict, while massing new troops in the Middle East and threatening intense escalation if Tehran doesn’t reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route.

It will also add to doubts over American-Israeli claims of dominance over Iranian skies. The joint campaign has focused intensely on destroying and degrading Iran’s missile defenses, but Tehran has retained the capability to hit back across the region.

Iran has claimed previously to have struck American planes, but the U.S. has not confirmed any such incidents during the war.

U.S. Central Command said an F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing March 19, but stopped short of confirming this was the result of an Iranian attack.

Kuwait accidentally shot down three U.S. fighter jets near the start of the war, in what CENTCOM said was a “friendly fire” incident by the U.S. ally.

The rescue operation followed a morning of reporting by Iranian media and military observers on social media.

Nour News, an outlet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the jet “was destroyed in the skies over central Iran by a new advanced air defense system of the IRGC Aerospace Force.”

A channel affiliated with Iranian state television claimed that a U.S. pilot ejected from their aircraft over a rural region of southwestern Iran. An anchor urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did.

An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to videos circulating of what appeared to be U.S. aircraft in the area. The semiofficial Mehr news agency later published videos that it said showed “brave locals firing at U.S. helicopters” with guns.

Responding to photos published by outlets in Tehran, one expert told NBC News that “structure looks like an F-15.”

“From the tail flash stripe markings from the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom,” said Peter Layton, a former officer in the Australian Air Force and visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia.

The base in Suffolk, eastern England, and RAF Feltwell in the neighboring county of Norflk, host the 48th Fighter Wing, comprising some 7,000 active-duty personnel and four squadrons of F-15 Strike Eagles and F35A Lightning II fighter jets.

It is the largest U.S. fighter operation in Europe and has been a key hub of American activity heading to the Middle East.

Erik Ortiz and The Associated Press contributed.