Iranian forces launch search for crew of downed US fighter jet

Al Jazeera ConflictNews ReportEN 2 min read 100% complete by By News AgenciesApril 3, 2026 at 05:43 PM

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Iranian forces launch search for crew of downed US fighter jet

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Iranian forces have launched a search operation for the crew of a U.S. fighter jet downed over southwestern Iran on Friday. Iranian media released photos of the wreckage, including what appears to be an ejection seat. U.S. officials confirmed a fighter jet was shot down and a search and rescue operation is underway. According to Iranian reports, the aircraft was an F-15 jet, likely manned by two pilots. Iranian officials have called on civilians to assist in the search, with a reward offered for the capture of the crew. The downing is the first reported incident since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.

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Key Claims (5)

AI-Extracted

After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?'

quote — Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf100% confidence

The downing is the first such report since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.

factual90% confidence

One person was recovered.

factual — The Associated Press90% confidence

Iranian forces have launched a search operation for the crew of a United States fighter jet which was downed by an air defence system.

factual — Iranian media90% confidence

A United States fighter jet was shot down over Iran and that a search and rescue operation was under way for survivors.

factual — Reuters news agency citing two US officials80% confidence

Claims are automatically extracted and should be independently verified. Attribution indicates the stated source of the claim.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Associated Press 40% ISNA 40% Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province 40% Reuters 40% Donald Trump 50% Fars News Agency 50% US Central Command (CENTCOM) ×260% Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf 60% US-Israeli war with Iran 70% Iranian Armed Forces ×270% United States ×480% Iran ×1290%

Keywords

downed us fighter jet 100% search operation 80% iranian forces 70% air defence system 60% us-israeli war with iran 60% ejection seat 50% f-15 jet 50% us central command (centcom) 40% pentagon 40%