TEHRAN — Iran’s military command announced on Sunday that a United States rescue operation aimed at recovering the pilot of a downed F-15E fighter-bomber had ended in failure, with Iranian air defences shooting down two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 military transport aircraft in the south of Isfahan province.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, confirmed the development in a statement broadcast by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the country’s state-run media outlet. “The enemy’s efforts to rescue the pilot of the downed plane have failed. In the south of Isfahan, enemy air targets were shot down, including two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 military transport aircraft — they are now on fire,” Zolfaghari declared.
The incident marks a significant escalation in what has become an active aerial confrontation between United States and Iranian forces. The aircraft at the centre of the crisis is believed to be an F-15E Strike Eagle, a twin-seat fighter-bomber operated by the US Air Force. The aircraft carries a two-man crew, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency had previously reported that Iranian forces may have captured at least one American pilot who ejected following the downing of the jet by Iranian air defence systems.
The loss of three additional aircraft — two rotary-wing platforms and a fixed-wing transport — during the failed rescue attempt represents a considerable operational setback for US forces and raises acute questions about the depth and effectiveness of Iranian air defence capabilities in the region. The south of Isfahan, where the rescue mission was intercepted, is home to several strategically significant Iranian military and nuclear-related installations.
The broader context of this confrontation reflects the intensifying military dimension of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, with Iranian forces demonstrating a capacity to contest American air superiority within their own territory. The fate of the American crew members remains a matter of acute international concern, with Iranian authorities indicating that at least one pilot is in their custody.
Washington has not yet issued an official detailed response to Iran’s account of the failed rescue operation, though the episode is certain to deepen an already volatile regional crisis with far-reaching implications for the balance of power across the Middle East.
Find more details at Sputnik International.