Washington — ANI — Updated: 10:06 AM Apr 05, 2026 IST
A U.S. F-15 crew member who was reported missing after Iran shot down the jet has reportedly been found alive, according to claims made by former U.S. Special Forces member and journalist Jack Murphy.
In a post on X, Murphy said the jet’s weapon systems officer (WSO) was recovered alive and had been engaged in escape-and-evasion operations. Murphy also said there had been a “massive firefight on tgt” while Iranian forces were searching the area. His account has not been officially confirmed.
Al Jazeera, citing a U.S. government official, similarly reported that the crew member was recovered following a “heavy firefight.” Both U.S. and Iranian teams took part in search operations for the missing airman.
CNN reported that Iranian tribesmen opened fire on American helicopters during the searches. Iran’s Fars News Agency placed the clashes in the isolated highlands of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces and the wider Bakhtiari region, saying local groups targeted two Black Hawk helicopters on Saturday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps praised the tribal fighters as “courageous, valiant and victorious guardians of the borders,” CNN reported. Footage released on Friday allegedly showed nomadic Bakhtiari tribesmen, armed with rifles, patrolling mountainous areas of Khuzestan province while searching for U.S. personnel; one man in the video is heard saying, “God willing, he will be found.”
Iranian authorities have also been reported to offer substantial bounties for capture of the missing individual. Officials in Washington and Tehran have not issued a joint, independently verified confirmation of the crew member’s recovery.
