Tehran, April 5 — Iran on Sunday described a U.S. rescue mission in southern Isfahan as a “bitter defeat” for American forces after Washington said it had recovered a second F-15 crew member missing when Iran downed the jet.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, told state media the operation exposed “the hollow nature of the American military” and amounted to a humiliating failure. He said Tehran had warned its forces would repel any invader and that the “decisive victory” in southern Isfahan demonstrated that resolve, according to Press TV.
U.S. President Donald Trump called the mission the “most daring” search-and-rescue operation and said the administration would “not leave a warfighter behind.” Trump said U.S. forces retrieved the injured crew member in a high-risk mission that involved “dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the world.” He added that two U.S. pilots were recovered separately deep in hostile territory and that no Americans were killed or wounded.
Iranian state outlets and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they had shot down a C-130-class aircraft taking part in the rescue. Fars news agency published a photograph showing smoke rising from a field; Al Jazeera reported the image.
Both Iran and the United States carried out search operations for the missing airman. CNN reported that during those operations local tribesmen fired on American helicopters.
Claims and counterclaims over what transpired in southern Isfahan remain contested, with Tehran portraying the episode as a defensive success and Washington emphasizing the successful recovery of its personnel. Multiple outlets reported the developments; the original story was distributed via a syndicated feed.
