Second U.S. plane reportedly crashes in Persian Gulf—after Iran shot down jet

A second U.S. Air Force plane crashed in the Persian Gulf on Friday, unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times, in addition to a fighter jet shot down by Iran, though it’s unclear why or how the second crash happened.

Key facts

- An A-10 Warthog attack plane crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, the Times reported, and its pilot was safely rescued, though other details about the crash are unclear.

- The A-10 crash occurred around the same time as the previously reported F-15E jet was shot down by Iran, according to the Times.

- Following the F-15E crash, one crew member was rescued by U.S. forces and is receiving medical treatment while the search for the second is ongoing, multiple outlets reported Friday afternoon.

- Iranian state media first claimed early Friday it had downed a U.S. fighter jet over central Iran, and multiple U.S. outlets later reported Iran shot down the jet, an F-15E two-seater plane.

- A news anchor reporting for a local affiliate of Iranian state media read a statement urging locals to search for the “enemy’s pilot or pilots” and return them alive to authorities for a reward, the Times reported.

- The downed aircraft comes after Trump announced a strike on an Iranian highway bridge near Tehran and warned of “much more to follow,” also claiming the United States would bombard Iran “back to the stone ages” over the next several weeks.

- Trump, who previously claimed the United States “knocked out” Iran’s navy, air force and air defense capabilities, did not comment on the rescue operations in an interview with NBC News, noting the incident would not affect peace negotiations with Iran.

- The downed jet was an F-15E Strike Eagle, the New York Times reported. F-15E Strike Eagle jets seat two crew members, a pilot and a weapons systems officer, and they are used for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, according to an Air Force fact sheet. F-15E jets can travel at speeds up to 1,875 mph, or roughly 2.5-times the speed of sound, and they are capable of traveling 2,400 miles before needing to refuel.

Tangent

Trump said in a Truth Social post earlier Friday the United States could “easily” reopen the Strait of Hormuz “with a little more time,” adding it could “TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.” Trump has made conflicting statements about the strait in recent weeks, saying on March 20, “We don’t use the strait, the United States, we don’t need it,” and claiming in his Wednesday address to the nation the strait will “open up naturally.” (Source: Forbes)