Iranian state-linked media said several U.S. aircraft were destroyed during a mission to rescue a downed airman in Iran, as conflicting accounts emerged following Washington’s confirmation that the second crew member of an F-15E Strike Eagle had been recovered.
According to the Tasnim news agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said “enemy aircraft were destroyed” during a joint operation involving multiple branches of Iran’s armed forces. A spokesperson for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the losses included a C-130 military transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters, allegedly downed in southern Isfahan province.
The claims surfaced hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the second crew member of the F-15E — a weapon systems officer — had been rescued after a two-day search. The pilot had been recovered earlier.
Iranian media also reported casualties during the rescue operation, saying five people were killed in strikes linked to the U.S. mission. No independent confirmation of those claims has been provided.
Videos and images circulating on the social media platform X appear to show wreckage consistent with a C-130 and a helicopter, but the images could not be verified.
A separate report by The New York Times said U.S. forces may have destroyed their own C-130 aircraft after it became stranded on an airfield, to prevent it from falling into Iranian hands. The circumstances of that incident remain unclear.
The U.S. military has not commented on the reported losses.
