TEHRAN – Iranian air defense units intercepted an American F-15 fighter jet over central Iran on Friday morning, forcing the U.S. Air Force to launch a search and rescue mission for the ejected crew, at least one of whom is believed to still be inside Iran.

The incident occurred 35 days into a war that the Trump administration claims has decimated nearly all of Iran’s military and defense capabilities.

Since the U.S. and Israel began their aggression on February 28, Iran has intercepted at least nine enemy warplanes. However, the downed F-15 marks the first time an aircraft’s crew was forced to eject while still inside Iranian territory. In all previous cases, pilots ejected over regional countries, including Iraq and Arab Persian Gulf territories. 

The U.S. military and American media remained silent on the downed F-15 for approximately nine hours after Friday’s interception. They only began acknowledging a “search and rescue mission” when videos surfaced online showing at least two U.S. Pave Hawk Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) helicopters and one U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules—used for airlift support and reconnaissance—flying at low altitude inside Iran. The aircraft were seen in the southern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, a region with a large nomadic population and few air defense systems. Other videos show nomadic Iranians firing personal rifles at what appear to be American helicopters, and one unverified photo depicts a damaged U.S. helicopter emitting smoke near the southern Zagros mountain range. U.S. authorities have previously dismissed all reports of Iranian interceptions, attributing them to either “friendly fire” or “accidents” that occurred for unknown reasons.

The Iranian military has yet to directly address the situation. However, hours before the American mission began, an X account associated with the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) posted a photo of what appeared to be the F-15's ejection seat. Meanwhile, a news anchor for Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province's television network addressed residents in their local dialect, promising a "valuable award" to anyone who could capture the escaped American crew—dead or alive. Merchant associations across Iran also announced rewards totaling several billion tomans for the crew's capture. Unverified reports suggest that two crew members ejected inside Iran and that one of them was found and evacuated by American forces.

Regardless of whether the U.S. military finds the ejected crew, the incident marks a humiliating chapter in President Donald Trump’s costly and unpopular war against Iran. Over the past weeks, Trump, his war secretary, and his secretary of state have repeatedly claimed complete air superiority over Iran, asserting that U.S. fighter jets can enter the country without concern because all Iranian air defenses have been destroyed. 

The Trump administration also claims to have “obliterated” Iran’s missile program, including its launchers and vast arsenal. Yet the Iranian Armed Forces have continued routine operations against Israel and U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf with multiple waves of daily attacks. According to figures published by Hebrew media, the number of missiles and drones Iran fired in the fourth week of the war was double the number launched in the second and third weeks combined.

Trump sinking deeper into mud 

The Trump administration has come under fire from politicians and citizens—both in the United States and around the world—for launching a war based on unrealistic expectations, flawed assessments, and a lack of preparedness. In a national address on Wednesday, Trump said he initially believed the war against Iran would be over in just three days. He was apparently persuaded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that attacking Iran, assassinating its Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and calling on the Iranian people to “rise up” would cause the Islamic Republic to collapse within 72 hours. Reports indicate that Trump ignored intelligence warnings about the consequences of Iran's retaliation, trusting instead in Israel's promise of a quick collapse. That retaliation has so far included the nonstop pounding of regional U.S. bases and Israeli positions in the occupied territories, as well as restrictions on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which over 20% of the world's energy used to pass.

Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations to reach a diplomatic settlement on Iran’s nuclear program and were scheduled to hold a new round of talks in Vienna before the U.S. and Israel launched their war. The mediator, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, travelled to the U.S. a day before the attacks and told U.S. media after meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance that a “historic deal” was within reach. Now, more than a month into the war, it has become clear that Trump ditched a nearly signed nuclear agreement for a military confrontation that has already cost him tens of billions of dollars, claimed the lives of several American soldiers, left most U.S. military bases in the region in ruins, driven up gas and grocery prices in the U.S., and pushed the global economy toward recession. Analysts say these rising costs may ultimately cause his party to lose the upcoming midterm elections as well.

On the ground, American and Israeli strikes in Iran have mainly targeted residential buildings, medical centers, major commercial industries, universities, and municipal infrastructure. Trump and his war secretary are now threatening to send Iran back to the "Stone Age" if it does not halt its military operations and sign a deal with Washington. Iranians, however, say they no longer see any point in diplomacy with the U.S., having been attacked in the middle of negotiations twice in less than nine months. This dynamic suggests the Trump administration may grow more desperate, potentially resorting to further war crimes or even launching a ground invasion of Iran. The latter option has already drawn opposition from many officials and analysts, including U.S. Army Chief General Randy George, whom Western media reports was asked to retire on Thursday because he opposed sending troops to Iran, warning that such a move would only result in immense U.S. casualties and captives.