The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Iran informed it a projectile struck near the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The IAEA reported a physical protection staff member was killed by a fragment, and that a building on site suffered shockwave and fragment damage. There was no reported increase in radiation levels. Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the incident did not damage the plant’s main systems and production was unaffected.
Earlier in the widening conflict, two U.S. military aircraft were downed over Iran and the Gulf. Iranian and U.S. officials said a two-seat F-15E was shot down by Iranian fire. An A-10 Warthog was also struck by Iranian fire and crashed over Kuwait; its pilot ejected.
Two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search for the missing pilot were hit 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-run Mizan news agency reported Saturday that two men from the exile group Mujahedin-e-Khalq were executed by hanging.
Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and regional officials intensified searches near the site 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 focus of the war had shifted from regime change to hunting pilots. A senior U.S. administration official said the U.S. president was briefed on the rescue efforts.
The conflict has produced wider regional and global effects. Security sources said a drone strike west of Iraq’s Basra ignited storage facilities belonging to foreign oil companies. Dubai authorities reported debris fell onto building facades in Internet City and the Marina area after aerial interceptions; officials said there were no injuries or fires. An Oracle building sustained facade damage from falling debris but no injuries were reported.
There have been measurable economic impacts: Vietnam’s first-quarter growth slowed as higher energy costs tied to the Middle East raised inflation and complicated the country’s 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, underscoring 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, highlighting Iran’s continued capability to retaliate despite U.S. assertions of air dominance.
There were no immediate signs the hostilities would end. The possibility that a U.S. service member might still be alive and concealed inside Iran raised the stakes for Washington amid low public support for the conflict.
Other developments: Pakistan’s prime minister announced an 80-rupee-per-litre cut in the petrol levy after a price surge sparked public backlash, lowering the pump price to 378 rupees per litre.
