Iran war: Search on for missing crew member of downed US jet

## Summary
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAC A US Air Force F-15E fighter jet, pictured here, was reportedly shot down by the Iranian military on Friday Image: Jonathan Brady/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Two US military planes were hit in the Iran war, in separate incidents, on Friday One of the two crew members of a US F-15E that was downed over Iran was rescued, search for other service member is ongoing The UN Security Council has delayed a vote on using force to reopen Hormuz Here are the main developments in the US-Israel war with Iran on April 4: Skip next section WATCH: US pilot missing over Iran — the protocol that could bring them home 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 WATCH: US pilot missing over Iran — the protocol that could bring them home Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet over the country. Why reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force is so dangerous To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAl Skip next section What we know about the US fighter jets hit in Iran war 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 What we know about the US fighter jets hit in Iran war Two US warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf region on Friday, in separate incidents. A US F-15E fighter jet was shot down by the Iranian military in southern Iran, the Associated Press, The New York Times and others reported One crew member from the two-seat F-15E jet was reportedly rescued by US forces A US search and rescue operation is underway to find the second F-15E pilot Iran's military is also searching for the missing American and has offered a bounty US President Donald Trump told NBC News that the incident wouldn't impact talks with Tehran In an interview with The Independent, when asked how the US might respond if the Iranians reached the missing pilot, Trump replied, 'We hope that's not going to happen' The second plane, an A-10 Warthog, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, with the lone pilot rescued Both US fighter jets reportedly went down around the same time https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAY Skip next section Welcome to our coverage 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 Welcome to our coverage Emmy Sasipornkarn | Roshni Majumdar Editor Thank you for joining. Before we move on to cover day 36 of the Iran war, here are some of the major developments that happened on Friday to help you catch up: Two US military planes were shot down on Friday, in separate incidents US F-15E was shot down by the Iranian military, the Associated Press and many others reported One of the two-man crew of the F-15E was rescued, with an intensive search operation ongoing to find the second officer After that incident, another US combat jet, an A-10 Warthog attack plane, crashed in the Gulf region The pilot ejected from the plane and was rescued Some other related news as well as other headlines that are helpful: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps ​said it was combing an area near where the jet came down in southwestern Iran The downing of two US fighter planes occurred just two days after US President Donald Trump said in a national address that Iran had been 'completely decimated' The UN Security Council , which was scheduled to vote on a resolution authorizing the use of force to secure international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, has postponed the vote A container ship operated by French shipping and logistics firm CMA CGM has passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran's closure of the waterway The US Embassy in Beirut urged Americans to leave Lebanon while commercial flights remain available https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAV Show more posts

## Article Content
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAC
A US Air Force F-15E fighter jet, pictured here, was reportedly shot down by the Iranian military on Friday
Image: Jonathan Brady/dpa/picture alliance
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Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Two US military planes were hit in the Iran war, in separate incidents, on Friday
One of the two crew members of a US F-15E that was downed over Iran was rescued, search for other service member is ongoing
The
UN Security Council
has delayed a vote on using force to reopen Hormuz
Here are the main developments in the
US-Israel war with Iran
on April 4:
Skip next section WATCH: US pilot missing over Iran — the protocol that could bring them home
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
WATCH: US pilot missing over Iran — the protocol that could bring them home
Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet over the country. One of its two pilots has been rescued while the other remains missing.
A search and rescue operation is underway, but so is an Iranian manhunt.
DW spoke with retired Air Force Special Operations commander Glenn Ignazio on what the missing pilot's options are and what the military can do to bring them home.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeE6
Skip next section Israeli military says it is carrying out strikes against Hezbollah sites in Beirut
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
Israeli military says it is carrying out strikes against Hezbollah sites in Beirut
The Israeli military said ​early Saturday ​it ​had ‌begun striking ‌infrastructure ‌sites ​of the Iran-backed militant ​group ⁠Hezbollah ​in ​Beirut.
An AFP correspondent in the Lebanese capital reported hearing at least two explosions within half an hour. Local media reported two strikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Lebanon was pulled into the conflict in the Middle East on March 2 when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel to avenge the US-Israeli strike that killed
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
.
What is Iran's 'Axis of Resistance'?
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Why is Israel striking Lebanon as part of its war against Iran?
Israel has been launching deadly airstrikes on Beirut and parts of southern
Lebanon
since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.
Since its foundation,
Hezbollah
(Arabic for "Party of God") has been supported, trained and equipped by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It functions as a proxy of Iran, its largest benefactor.
Hezbollah is a political and militant group that is inspired by the Shiite Islamist ideology that underpinned the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
In late 2023, the US government estimated that Iran funds Hezbollah to the tune of around $700 million (€661 million) annually.
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeE3
Skip next section UNSC delays vote on use of force to reopen Strait of Hormuz
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
UNSC delays vote on use of force to reopen Strait of Hormuz
The
United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
is expected to vote next week on a resolution to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The 15-member body was initially scheduled to vote on Friday on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain, which holds the UNSC presidency this month, to authorize the use of "defensive" force to
protect shipping in Hormuz
from Iranian attacks.
In retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that began on February 28, Iran has effectively closed the strategic waterway, which normally carries about a fifth of the world's total oil trade.
The draft resolution, which has faced resistance from
China
,
Russia
and others, has been watered down from its original form.
Beijing ⁠has ⁠made clear its opposition to authorizing any use of force.
In remarks to the Security Council on Thursday morning, China's UN envoy Fu ​Cong said such a move would be "legitimizing the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences."
A Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor ​and no vetoes from the five ⁠permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Why reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force is so dangerous
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supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAl
Skip next section What we know about the US fighter jets hit in Iran war
04/04/2026
April 4, 2026
What we know about the US fighter jets hit in Iran war
Two US warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf region on Friday, in separate incidents.
A US F-15E fighter jet was shot down by the Iranian military in southern Iran, the Associated Press,
The New York Times
and others reported
One crew member from the two-seat F-15E jet was reportedly rescued by US forces
A US search and rescue operation is underway to find the second F-15E pilot
Iran's military is also searching for the missing American and has offered a bounty
US President Donald Trump told

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## Expert Analysis

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### Implications
- https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAC A US Air Force F-15E fighter jet, pictured here, was reportedly shot down by the Iranian military on Friday Image: Jonathan Brady/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Two US military planes were hit in the Iran war, in separate incidents, on Friday One of the two crew members of a US F-15E that was downed over Iran was rescued, search for other service member is ongoing The UN Security Council has delayed a vote on using force to reopen Hormuz Here are the main developments in the US-Israel war with Iran on April 4: Skip next section WATCH: US pilot missing over Iran — the protocol that could bring them home 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 WATCH: US pilot missing over Iran — the protocol that could bring them home Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet over the country.
- In remarks to the Security Council on Thursday morning, China's UN envoy Fu ​Cong said such a move would be "legitimizing the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences." A Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor ​and no vetoes from the five ⁠permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
- A US F-15E fighter jet was shot down by the Iranian military in southern Iran, the Associated Press, The New York Times and others reported One crew member from the two-seat F-15E jet was reportedly rescued by US forces A US search and rescue operation is underway to find the second F-15E pilot Iran's military is also searching for the missing American and has offered a bounty US President Donald Trump told NBC News that the incident wouldn't impact talks with Tehran In an interview with The Independent, when asked how the US might respond if the Iranians reached the missing pilot, Trump replied, 'We hope that's not going to happen' The second plane, an A-10 Warthog, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, with the lone pilot rescued Both US fighter jets reportedly went down around the same time https://p.dw.com/p/5BeAY Skip next section Welcome to our coverage 04/04/2026 April 4, 2026 Welcome to our coverage Emmy Sasipornkarn | Roshni Majumdar Editor Thank you for joining.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers iran, force, military topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1160.