US pilot still missing after Iran downs two warplanes; Trump warns of more attacks

Two US warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf region on Friday, according to Iranian and US officials, underscoring the continuing risks faced by American aircraft in the region. Two pilots have been rescued, while a third remains missing and is being actively pursued by Iranian forces.

The first incident involved a two-seat US F-15E fighter jet, which officials from both countries said was shot down by Iranian fire over Iranian territory. One pilot was rescued while a search is underway for the other.

During the search-and-rescue operation for the missing pilot, two US Black Hawk helicopters also came under Iranian fire. Though damaged, both aircraft were able to exit Iranian airspace safely, officials told Reuters.

The degree of injuries among the crew of the aircraft remained unclear. The status and whereabouts of the missing F-15E crew member was not publicly known.

In a separate incident, an A-10 Warthog attack aircraft was hit by Iranian fire and crashed over Kuwait. The pilot managed to eject safely, US officials said.

The developments challenge earlier assertions by US President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that American and allied forces had established full control of the airspace over Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was combing an area near where the pilot's plane came down in southwestern Iran and the regional governor promised a commendation for anyone who captured or killed "forces of the hostile enemy."

Iranians, who have been pummeled by American air power for weeks, posted gleeful messages celebrating the plane downings. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on X that the US and Israel’s war had been “downgraded from regime change" to a hunt for their pilots.

Trump has been in the White House receiving updates on the search-and-rescue operation, a senior administration official told Reuters. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

No sign of end to war
The prospect of a US service person being alive and on the run inside Iran raises the stakes for Washington in a conflict with low public support and no sign of an imminent end.

Iran has officially told mediators it is not prepared to meet with US officials in Islamabad in coming days and that efforts to produce a ceasefire, led by Pakistan, have reached a dead end, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The US and Israel opened the campaign with a wave of strikes that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. The war has killed thousands and threatened lasting damage to the global economy. So far, 13 US military service members have been killed in the conflict and more than 300 have been wounded, according to the US Central Command.

Iran has rained drones and missiles down on Israel. It has also taken aim at Gulf countries allied to the US, which have so far held back from joining the war directly for fear of further escalation.

In a security alert on Friday, the US embassy in Beirut said Iran and its aligned armed groups may target universities in Lebanon and urged US citizens in the country to leave while commercial flights are still available. Israel has been waging a parallel campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon after the militant group fired at Israel in support of Iran.

Trump threatens to strike bridges, power plants
On Friday, as Trump threatened to hit its bridges and power plants, Iran struck a power and water plant in Kuwait, underlining the vulnerability of Gulf states that rely heavily on desalination plants for drinking water.

On Thursday, Trump posted footage on social media showing dust and smoke billowing up as U.S. strikes hit the newly constructed B1 bridge between Tehran and nearby Karaj, which was due to open this year, and said more attacks would follow. "Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!" he wrote in a subsequent post.

On Friday, a drone hit a Red Crescent relief warehouse in the Choghadak area of Iran's southern Bushehr province.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery had been hit by drones. Other attacks were also reported to have been intercepted in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Missile debris landed near the Israeli port of Haifa, site of a major oil refinery.