WASHINGTON (AP) — An American pilot missing in Iran has been rescued after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down on Friday, US President Donald Trump announced in a social media post on Sunday.
“At my direction, the US military sent dozens of planes equipped with the world’s most lethal weapons to recover him.
“He was injured, but he will be fine.”
“This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, pursued by our enemies who were getting closer and closer every hour.”
Apparently encouraged by the success of the rescue operation, President Trump issued a new ultimatum to Iran to end its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway in the Persian Gulf for transporting oil and gas, by April 6.
He said that if the Iranian government did not do so, US forces would target the country’s energy infrastructure, which provides energy to millions of Iranian civilians.
He added: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, combined in one day, in Iran.
There will never be anything like it!!! Trump wrote on social media. The president had previously postponed the deadline for the attack twice, and the Omani Foreign Ministry said that officials discussed how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with their Iranian counterparts without reaching a final agreement.
The loss of the F-15E led to the United States launching a rescue mission that quickly recovered one of the crew members. But another of the fighter jets remained missing until late Friday.
Trump praised the operations as evidence of American military superiority and called for national unity in celebrating successful missions, saying, “We will never leave an American fighter behind.”
Trump described the mission as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in the history of the United States,” noting that the soldier was injured but is expected to recover.
Vice President J.D. Vance congratulated the rescue effort, calling it “one of the most amazing operations ever undertaken” and congratulating everyone whose skill and courage contributed to making it happen.