The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Saturday it was informed by Iran that a projectile struck near the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The IAEA reported that a physical protection staff member was killed by a projectile fragment and that a building on site was affected by shockwaves and fragments, but there was no reported increase in radiation levels. Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the incident did not damage the plant’s main parts and production was unaffected.
Earlier incidents in the widening conflict included two U.S. military aircraft being downed over Iran and the Gulf. Iranian and U.S. officials said a two-seat F-15E jet was shot down by Iranian fire. An A-10 Warthog was also hit by Iranian fire and crashed over Kuwait; its pilot ejected. Two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search for the missing pilot were struck by Iranian fire but managed to leave Iranian airspace. Two pilots were rescued; a third crew member from the F-15E remained missing, and Iranian forces were searching for them.
Pentagon data released Friday showed 365 U.S. service members wounded in action in the conflict: 247 Army soldiers, 63 Navy sailors, 19 Marines and 36 Air Force airmen.
Separately, Iran’s judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported Saturday that two men from the exile group Mujahedin-e-Khalq were executed by hanging.
Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard and regional officials reacted to the downings with intensified searches near where the pilot’s plane came down. Some officials and public voices celebrated the strikes on U.S. aircraft, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf posted that the war focus had shifted from regime change to hunting pilots. The U.S. president was briefed on the rescue efforts, according to a senior U.S. administration official.
The conflict has had wider regional and global effects. A drone strike west of Iraq’s Basra ignited storage facilities belonging to foreign oil companies, security sources said. Dubai authorities reported debris fell on building facades in Internet City and the Marina area after aerial interceptions but said there were no injuries or fires. An Oracle building sustained facade debris but no reported injuries.
Economic impacts included Vietnam’s first-quarter growth slowing as higher Middle Eastern energy costs raised inflation and challenged its 2026 growth target.
On the diplomatic and threat fronts, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened strikes on Iranian bridges and power plants; Iran responded by striking a power and water plant in Kuwait, highlighting Gulf states’ vulnerability given heavy reliance on desalination for drinking water.
Analysts noted the shooting down of U.S. military aircraft marks the first time in more than 20 years that U.S. planes have been downed by enemy fire, underscoring Iran’s continued capability to retaliate despite U.S. claims of air dominance.
There were no immediate signs of an end to hostilities. The prospect that a U.S. service member might be alive and concealed inside Iran heightened stakes for Washington amid low public support for the conflict.
Other developments: Pakistan’s prime minister announced a PKR 80 per litre cut in petrol levy after a price surge triggered backlash, lowering the pump price to PKR 378 per litre.
