From covert CIA operations to a massive 155-aircraft deployment, President Donald Trump details a high-stakes military effort marked by urgency, danger, and geopolitical tension.
President Donald Trump on April 6 described what he referred to as a historic mission to rescue an F-15 fighter jet airman who was shot down over Iranian territory on Friday.
“We're here today to celebrate the success of one of the largest, most complex, most harrowing, combat searches—I guess you would call it a search and rescue mission—ever attempted by the military,” Trump told reporters during a White House press conference. “This is a rescue that’s very historic.”
The pilot, a colonel, was injured after the Iranian military shot down his F-15E fighter jet early Friday—the same day Tehran took credit for downing a U.S. A-10 Warthog warplane. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Trump has given the Iranian regime until 8 p.m. (ET) on April 7 to reach a deal with the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or he will escalate the ongoing military bombardment by striking Iran’s power plants and bridges.
Iran has rejected U.S. calls for a military cease-fire, instead emphasizing the need for a permanent end to the war, Iranian state media said on Monday.
Here are six key takeaways from Trump’s Monday briefing describing the mission to rescue two downed F-15 airmen over Iranian territory:
1. ‘Harrowing’ Rescue
Describing the coordinated rescue missions as “harrowing,” Trump said he ordered U.S. forces to “do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home.”
He said the weapons system officer of the downed F-15 fighter jet evaded capture on the ground in Iran for nearly 48 hours before being rescued by the U.S. military.
“That's a long time when you're in tough shape and when you're bleeding,” Trump said.
The Pentagon has not yet released the officer's name.
2. ‘Unbelievable’ Contingency Plan
The U.S. military encountered terrain-related problems during the weekend recovery efforts in Iran, Trump said. Wet, sandy conditions made it too difficult for the large planes—which carried rescue personnel and equipment—to take off from the ground.
“We had a contingency plan, which was unbelievable, where lighter, faster aircraft came in, and they took them out. We blew up the old planes,” Trump explained.
“We had equipment on the planes that, frankly, we'd like to take, but I don't think it was worthwhile spending another four hours there taking it off.”
Trump said the U.S. military also wanted to prevent Iranian forces from recovering the aircraft.
3. 155 U.S. Aircraft Used in Rescue Mission
Trump said the second rescue mission, which focused on recovering the F-15 weapons system officer, involved 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft.
Twenty-one U.S. military aircraft were deployed during the initial mission to rescue the pilot of the fighter jet that crashed over Iranian territory, Trump said.
4. CIA Used Covert Capabilities
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said covert capabilities were used to recover the missing F-15 crew member, who had been hiding in a crevice on an Iranian mountain.
“At the president's direction, we deployed both human assets and exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service in the world possesses to a daunting challenge comparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert,” he said.
Ratcliffe said the U.S. military was in a “race against the clock” to recover the weapons system officer while keeping Iranian forces misdirected, leading the CIA to deploy a deception campaign.
“For that reason, in addition to the human and technical assets deployed by the president to find our airmen, CIA executed a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians who were desperately hunting for our airmen,” he said.
5. Trump Threatens ‘Leaker’
Trump said his administration initially held back on confirming the first rescue mission to recover the F-15 pilot, but the information was leaked to the press.
“These two extraordinary rescues, because it was two, and as you probably know, we didn't talk about the first one for an hour, then somebody leaked something,” Trump said.
He threatened to go to the media outlet that ran the story and demand they reveal the source over national security concerns, “or go to jail.”
“All of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life, and it also made it much more difficult for the pilots and for the people going in to search for him,” Trump said.
6. Rescued Airman Shares ‘God is Good’ Message
The crew member who evaded capture for nearly 48 hours by hiding in a mountain crevice sent a message that read, “God is Good,” once he activated his emergency transponder to notify U.S. forces of his location, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Monday.
“In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shown [sic] through,” Hegseth said.
