A US fighter jet was shot down over Iran as President Donald Trump said the US “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran.” One of the two pilots from the downed jet was rescued by US forces, CBS News reported, citing two US officials.
Trump’s remarks came hours after an under-construction civilian road bridge near Tehran was damaged, killing eight.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described Trump’s threat to send Iran “back to the Stone Age” as an admission of intent to commit a “massive war crime,” noting he had raised the issue with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb. Iranian media reported the downed jet was an F-35; two US sources told Reuters it was a two-seat F-15E and that a search was underway. Iranian television said it was offering a cash reward for anyone who could find the pilot. This was the second time Iran has hit a US jet; three other US jets were downed in incidents Washington attributed to “friendly fire.”
On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump posted on Truth Social that with “a little more time, we can easily open Hormuz, take the oil and make a fortune.” The Trump administration has asked Congress for a $1.5 trillion increase in defence spending, and the president and his Cabinet have urged allies to raise their defence budgets.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran was developing a framework to manage passage through the strait but that countries hostile to Iran would be barred. He said there had been consultations with Oman. The southern side of the Strait of Hormuz is controlled by Oman, but the Iranian side is deeper, which is why most ships prefer that route; large vessels cannot easily use the Omani side. Major Gulf oil and gas exporters rely on the strait to move supplies to international markets, and importers depend on its uninterrupted operation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that 70 percent of Iran’s steel production capacity has been destroyed by combined US-Israeli air strikes, which have repeatedly targeted Iranian infrastructure and industry. Israel has threatened to destroy more bridges in Lebanon as its invasion of southern Lebanon expands, causing further displacement and casualties.
Kuwait reported that a water desalination plant and an oil refinery were struck by Iran, and a gas plant in the UAE was targeted on Friday morning. Iran also fired missiles at Israel, damaging homes and cars. The UK is sending a Rapid Ranger short-range air defence system to Kuwait to counter drones.
Iran’s Press TV posted a clip of army spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warning that if the US continues to threaten strikes on Iranian power plants, Tehran will target regional energy infrastructure and telecommunications companies with American shareholders.
The UN warned that world food prices rose for a second consecutive month in March, reaching their highest level since December. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February.
Oil prices surged after Trump’s renewed threats to destroy Iranian infrastructure; Brent crude rose about 8 percent on Friday, topping $109 a barrel.
At least 2,076 people have been killed and 26,500 wounded by the US-Israeli attacks across Iran since February 28.
