Iran shoots down US Fighter Jet, pilots missing as crisis escalates 

A US fighter jet was shot down over Iranian territory on Friday, marking the first confirmed loss of an American aircraft to Iranian defenses since the outbreak of the current conflict, according to multiple US officials and Iranian state media.

Three US sources confirmed the incident to CNN, aligning with reports from Iranian outlets that the plane was brought down by air defenses.

The jet, widely identified in circulating imagery and reporting as an F-15E Strike Eagle, crashed in or near Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran, roughly 470 kilometers south of Tehran.

Video footage geolocated to a bridge over the Karoon River showed low-flying military aircraft, including what appeared to be a formation consistent with search and rescue or support operations.

US forces immediately launched a combat search and rescue (CSAR) effort involving aircraft and helicopters to locate the crew, believed to number two pilots. Iranian state-run media, including Tasnim and Fars News, reported that initial searches for any ejected crew had been unsuccessful so far.

One anchor on Fars News stated that a reward was being offered for the capture of any “enemy pilot or pilots,” heightening concerns over the crew’s safety amid active hostilities.

Iranian sources claimed the downing was achieved with “newly developed and advanced air defenses” operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Photos and videos released by Iranian media purported to show wreckage, including an ejection seat, though independent verification remains limited. Some earlier Iranian claims had referenced an F-35, but visual evidence and US-side reporting pointed to an F-15E.

The Pentagon, US Central Command (CENTCOM), and the White House have not issued official statements on the incident or the status of the pilots as of Friday afternoon. This silence is consistent with operational security during ongoing combat search and rescue missions in contested airspace.

The event comes amid heightened US-Iranian tensions under the current administration, following recent US strikes on Iranian infrastructure, including a highway bridge and Iranian counteractions targeting regional assets.

It represents a significant escalation: while US aircraft have conducted missions over Iran, this is the first reported shoot-down by Iranian forces over their own territory.

Earlier in the conflict, three US F-15E Strike Eagles were lost in a friendly-fire incident when Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly engaged them near the outset of major operations.

All crew members ejected safely in that case. A separate March incident involved an F-35 sustaining damage from suspected Iranian fire and making an emergency landing at a US base in the region.

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