Downed planes spell new peril for Trump as Tehran hunts missing US pilot

Iran's forces were hunting on Saturday for a missing US pilot from one of two warplanes downed over Iran and the Gulf, officials from both sides said, while two airmen were rescued. The incidents show the risks still facing US and Israeli aircraft over Iran as the war entered its sixth week, despite assertions by President Donald Trump and his Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that US forces had total control of the skies. The prospect of a US service person alive and on the run in Iran raises the stakes for Washington in a conflict with low public support among Americans and no sign of an imminent end. Tehran mocks Trump's war aims Iranian fire brought down a two-seat US F-15E jet, officials in both countries said, while two US officials said the pilot ejected from an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft that crashed in Kuwait after being hit by Iranian fire. Two Black Hawk helicopters engaged in the search for the missing pilot were hit by Iranian fire but made it out of Iranian airspace, the two US officials told Reuters. The scale of injuries to the crew was unclear. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was combing a southwestern area near where the pilot's plane came down, while the regional governor promised a commendation for anyone who captured or killed "forces of the hostile enemy." Iranian civilians, terrorised by American aerial bombardments since the US and Israel began their attacks on February 28, celebrated the plane downings. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on X that the war had been "downgraded from regime change" to a hunt for pilots. After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from “regime change” to “Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?🥺” Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses. — محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 3, 2026 Trump has been in the White House receiving updates on the rescue effort, a senior administration official told Reuters. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Iran has told mediators it is not prepared to meet with US officials in Islamabad in the coming days and that efforts led by Pakistan to reach a ceasefire have hit a dead end, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday. The war has killed thousands, sparked an energy crisis and threatened lasting damage to the global economy since the initial strikes that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict has killed 13 US military service members, with more than 300 wounded, the US Central Command says. Trump threatens bridges, power plants Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation and aimed at Gulf countries' US bases, which have held back from joining the war directly for fear of further escalation. On Saturday, authorities in Dubai said no injuries were reported after debris from aerial interceptions hit the facades of two buildings in the emirate. In a security alert on Friday, the US embassy in Beirut said Iran and armed groups aligned with it may target universities in Lebanon and urged US citizens to leave while commercial flights still operated. Israel has been waging a parallel campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon after the militant group fired at Israel in support of Iran. Early on Saturday, Israel's military said it was striking the militants' infrastructure sites in Beirut. Iran struck a power and water plant in Kuwait on Friday, after Trump threatened to hit Iran's bridges and power plants, underlining the vulnerability of Gulf states that rely heavily on desalination plants for drinking water. On Thursday, Trump posted images of billowing dust and smoke as US strikes hit the B1 bridge set to open this year, linking Tehran and nearby Karaj. He threatened more attacks. "Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!" he wrote. On Friday, a drone hit a Red Crescent relief warehouse in the Choghadak area of Iran's southern province of Bushehr. Kuwait Petroleum Corp said drones hit its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, while other attacks were reported to have been intercepted in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Missile debris landed near the Israeli port of Haifa, site of a major oil refinery. Oil markets were closed after benchmark US crude prices jumped 11% on Thursday after Trump offered no clear sign of an imminent end to the war in a speech. Additionally, Americans are largely pessimistic about the war in Iran. Stacked bar chart showing poll results among Americans on the Iran war. CHART: REUTERS