Iranian media released several images of what it claims to be the wreckage of US military planes and helicopters downed searching for the stranded F-15E military pilot
Iranian state media has released pictures of what it claimed to be wreckages of US military planes downed during a mission to rescue the stranded crew member of the F-15E aircraft.
It comes after US President Donald Trump said the airman was “SAFE and SOUND” after he was recovered from Iran following “the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History.”
Iranian media has also shared an image purporting to show the burned body of a US servicemember supposedly inside aircraft wreckage, although Daily Star has been unable to verify these claims.
The picture released purporting to be the “burned” US airman shows a charred skull lodged between what appears to be a plane wreckage.
Tehran’s military has now reported that two C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed during the US operation in Isfahan.
The US has yet to provide any confirmation or statement regarding this. However, reports have indicated that two US planes, which were disabled during the operation, were detonated by American troops to prevent them from being seized by Iranian forces.
The £75million F-15 fighter aircraft was shot down over the Iranian airspace on Friday April 3, and two crew members ejected near to the Iraqi border.
The first man, a pilot, was rescued within hours in a daring Special Forces mission involving low-flying US helicopter gunships.
However, the second man remains missing with increasing concerns for his safety.
Yesterday, Iranian state media broadcasts proposed a “precious prize” for capturing the unidentified American.
State TV channels have encouraged residents to scour the area, alongside the offer of a £50,000 bounty – a sum significantly higher than the country’s monthly wage of £150, stating: “If you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police, you will receive a precious prize.”
Meanwhile, the US Central Command has initiated a desperate search effort, while images of debris from the downed jet have been published by Iranian state media.
Former diplomat Matthew Gould, who served as deputy and acting ambassador to Iran between 2003 and 2005, has now cautioned of a “fearful fate” for the individual if captured by the Iranian regime as the country has a long history of utilising Western captives as “propaganda trophies.”