NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- A second US Air Force plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, the New York Times reported, with the US already carrying out search-and-rescue operations from another incident in which Iran downed a fighter jet.
The A-10 Warthog went down near the Strait of Hormuz around the same time that Iran shot down a US F-15E fighter jet, the Times said, citing US officials. The lone pilot was safely rescued.
The US has rescued one of the two-man crew from the F-15 incident, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive matters. The official said a search operation is underway for the second crew member.
The first known combat loss of a US fighter jet would mark a significant escalation in the five-week war that already has triggered a global energy crisis. US Central Command did not respond to requests for comment on the incidents.
President Donald Trump in an interview with NBC News declined to discuss ongoing search-and rescue efforts. He said that the events would not impact negotiations with Iran, according to a reporter who spoke to him in a call.
“No, not at all. No, it’s war,” Trump said, according to the report.
Two military helicopters that were involved in the F-15 search were struck by Iranian fire, NBC News said, citing a US official.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency carried a report Friday that claimed Iran had shot down a “highly advanced American fighter jet.”
Iranian state media have made prior claims of shooting down American aircraft that were denied by the US. The Pentagon’s Central Command on Thursday called false an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claim that it had downed an enemy fighter jet over an island in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran’s IRGC has made the same false claim at least half a dozen times,” Central Command said in a social media post.
Iran targeted more sites in Arab Gulf states into Friday, hours after Trump issued fresh threats against Iranian infrastructure to pressure Tehran to start peace negotiations. The US president posted a video of a bridge collapse to social media on Thursday, warning there would be “Much more to follow!” if Iran doesn’t negotiate a deal.
Iran remained defiant, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying strikes on civilian structures “will not compel Iranians to surrender.” There’s little sign that the country will relent on US demands to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and halt attacks, instead offering their own terms for a deal.
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