Whoever captures or kills US pilot will be commended: Iran official after jet downed

Iranian media announced rewards for civilians who capture the "enemy pilot alive" after Tehran claimed to have shot down an American fighter jet.

In Short

• Iran claims second US F-35 shot down
• Channel offers rewards for capturing US pilot alive
• US launches rescue efforts for missing pilot

After Tehran claimed it had shot down a US F-15E fighter jet, the governor of the south-western Iranian province announced that anyone who captures or kills the American pilot, who is reported to have ejected during the crash, would be commended by the authorities.

Earlier, an Iranian channel also announced rewards for civilians who capture the pilot alive and hand them over to authorities, and also urged public participation in shooting down aircraft.

“If a pilot or an enemy pilot is captured and handed over alive to the law enforcement or military forces, you will receive a significant reward and compensation. If you see an airplane or helicopter in the sky, make sure to target it,” the anchor of the channel in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province read out a message.

State-affiliated Iranian channels have claimed that the US fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran after it was shot down, which is the first known loss of a jet inside Iran since the start of the war,

The reward announcement comes as US officials, who believe the pilot may be alive, attempt to extract him from Iranian territory through an ongoing combat search and rescue operation. Iranian state media shared images online purportedly showing American aircraft, including helicopters, planes, and drones, flying over the area.

Tehran-linked channels also aired visuals of metal debris loaded onto the back of a pickup truck, suggesting a possible crash site, which is a mountainous area located about 500 kilometres south-west of Tehran.

Earlier today, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed a major military success, announcing on Friday that a second F-35 fighter jet had been shot down over central Iran by an advanced air defence system operated by its Aerospace Force. The IRGC alleged that the aircraft belonged to the US Air Force’s Lakenheath squadron.

The IRGC further said the fighter jet was completely destroyed upon impact and that its pilot likely did not eject. The claim follows an earlier assertion by Iranian forces on March 19 that they had downed what they described as the first-ever F-35 in combat.

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