The fate of the plane’s crew was unclear, as American officials scrambled to mount a search and rescue operation before Iran could get to any survivors, officials said. Iranian state media also said a jet had been downed.
Iran shot down a U.S. fighter jet over the country, U.S. and Israeli officials as well as Iranian state-affiliated media said on Friday.
The fate of the plane’s crew was unclear, as American officials scrambled to mount a search and rescue operation before Iran could get to any survivors, said the U.S. and Israeli officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
The situation creates a military and diplomatic challenge for the United States, as President Trump has threatened in recent days to bombard Iran “back to the Stone Ages.” Over the past 24 hours, the United States and Iran have been trading attacks on military and civilian infrastructure in the region.
The Kuwait Petroleum company on Friday said that drones had struck the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, without saying where the attack came from. In a separate incident, the Kuwaiti government said Iran had damaged a power and water desalination plant in the country. In Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital, the authorities said falling debris from an air defense interception started a fire at a major gas field, halting operations there.
On Thursday, the United States struck a highway bridge near the capital, Tehran, and Iranian news outlets reported eight people were killed.
Since the war started on Feb. 28, Iran has attacked refineries, oil tankers, storage sites and other energy infrastructure across the region, while Israel has hit some similar sites in Iran. Intentionally targeting energy infrastructure could constitute a war crime under international law. The strikes and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil, have sent global oil prices soaring. (Markets in the United States were closed on Friday for Good Friday.)
Mr. Trump has threatened further strikes on energy infrastructure, warning that if Iran does not reopen the strait, the U.S. military will destroy the country’s power plants. “Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” he wrote on social media late Thursday. “New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”
Iranian leaders have been defiant in the face of the threats from Mr. Trump. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said in a statement on Thursday that negotiations with Washington were impossible under current conditions.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
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Targeting Israel: The Israeli military said Iran and Hezbollah had launched more missiles toward Israel, where the national emergency service reported several impact sites and one injury.
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Strait of Hormuz: Russia, China and France on Thursday effectively stymied a push by Arab countries to get the United Nations Security Council to authorize military action against Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The vote on the resolution is expected to be scheduled for Friday. But it remained unclear whether extra hours of diplomacy would bring the three veto-holding countries on board. Read more ›
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War’s cost: Some estimates suggest the war could cost the United States as much as $1 billion a day, a total that underscores the economic trade-offs the Trump administration faces as the president had promised to focus on lowering consumer costs and other domestic issues.
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Death tolls: The Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 1,606 civilians, including 244 children, had been killed in Iran as of Thursday. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 1,345 Lebanese had been killed as of Thursday, since the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began. In attacks blamed on Iran, at least 50 people have been killed in Gulf nations. In Israel, at least 17 people had been killed as of Friday. The American death toll stands at 13 service members, with hundreds of others wounded.
An anchor for a local affiliate of Iran’s state broadcaster read a statement on television calling on local residents to capture the “enemy’s pilot or pilots” and turn them over alive to security forces in return for a reward.
Two outlets affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that helicopters were searching for the pilots, citing unnamed sources. One of the outlets, the Fars news agency, said it was unclear who the helicopters belonged to, while the other outlet, Tasnim, reported that they were American and that one of them was forced to retreat after coming under fire. Tasnim said an American Hercules C-130 aircraft was also involved in the search.
Mizan, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, also reported that an American search-and-rescue mission was underway for the pilot and published pictures of what it said were American aircraft in Iran’s skies.