Iran Downs US Rescue Aircraft After F-15E Shot Down

A U.S. Mission to rescue the pilot of an F-15E fighter jet shot down by Iranian forces ended with the loss of two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 military transport aircraft, according to Iranian military statements.

"The enemy's efforts to rescue the pilot of the downed plane have failed," said Ebrahim Zolfagari, a spokesman for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. "In southern Isfahan, enemy air targets were hit, including two Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 military transport plane... They are now burning."

The report was confirmed by Iran's state broadcaster IRIB and later by AFP, citing Iran's Central Operational Command of the Armed Forces.

Further details emerged from Iran's Tasnim news agency, which cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as stating that five people were killed during the U.S. Rescue operation in southwestern Iran. The identities of those killed were not specified.

The IRGC released video footage showing what it claimed were two destroyed U.S. Transport aircraft from the rescue mission. The clips depicted smoldering wreckage scattered over a wide area.

The incident follows a statement on Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced that American forces had successfully rescued a second pilot from an F-15E downed in Iran earlier in the week. Trump stated that dozens of aircraft participated in that rescue operation. Iranian authorities have not commented on the fate of that pilot.

This development comes just days after President Trump declared a "complete defeat" for the Islamic Republic. According to reports from NBC News, within 48 hours of that declaration, Iranian forces shot down several American combat vehicles, including an A-10 attack aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters.

Spokesman Zolfagari emphasized that Tehran managed to hit these targets using new air defense systems.