A US fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory, US officials said, and one of the two crew members was rescued by American forces, according to CBS News. Iranian state media initially identified the aircraft as an F-35, while two US sources told Reuters the aircraft was a two-seat F-15E; US teams were reported to be searching for the missing crewmember. Iranian television also said it was offering a cash reward for anyone who could find the pilot.
The incident came as President Donald Trump renewed threats against Iran, saying the United States “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left” in the country. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called a separate Trump remark about sending Iran “back to the Stone Age” an admission of intent to commit a “massive war crime,” and said he had raised the issue with Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb.
Hours before the jet was downed, an under-construction civilian road bridge near Tehran was struck and damaged, killing eight people. Officials and state media have linked the attack to the broader escalation of strikes and counterstrikes in the region.
The downing marks at least the second time Iran has shot at a US aircraft in the recent confrontations; Washington has also lost three jets in episodes it attributed to friendly fire.
On the strategic maritime front, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social that, with “a little more time, we can easily open Hormuz, take the oil and make a fortune.” The administration has asked Congress for a roughly $1.5 trillion increase in defence spending and has urged US allies to raise their defence budgets amid the crisis.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said Tehran is developing a framework to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz but that nations hostile to Iran would be excluded. He said Tehran had held consultations with Oman. Navigational constraints mean many large vessels prefer the deeper Iranian side of the strait, while the Omani side is shallower; Gulf oil and gas exporters and global importers depend on uninterrupted transit through the waterway.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that about 70 percent of Iran’s steel production capacity has been destroyed by combined US-Israeli air strikes, part of a campaign that has repeatedly targeted Iranian infrastructure and industry. Israel has also threatened to destroy additional bridges in Lebanon as its operations in southern Lebanon expand, contributing to further displacement and casualties.
Regional spillover incidents were reported: Kuwait said a desalination plant and an oil refinery were struck, and a gas plant in the United Arab Emirates was targeted. Iran fired missiles at Israel that damaged homes and vehicles. The UK announced it would send a Rapid Ranger short-range air-defence system to Kuwait to help protect against drones and missile threats.
Iranian state broadcaster Press TV posted a clip of army spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warning that, if the US persists in threatening strikes on Iranian power plants, Tehran would retaliate by targeting regional energy infrastructure and telecommunications firms with American shareholders.
The broader economic fallout is already visible: the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said its Food Price Index rose for a second consecutive month in March, averaging 128.5 points — up 2.4 percent from February and the highest level since December. Oil prices also jumped after renewed threats and attacks, with Brent crude rising about 8 percent to top $109 a barrel.
Human costs have been significant. Iranian sources say at least 2,076 people have been killed and some 26,500 wounded in Iran by US- and Israeli-led strikes since February 28. The situation remains highly volatile, with military, economic and humanitarian consequences continuing to unfold.
