Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran had downed a US fighter jet, Iranian media outlets and Axios reported on Friday, adding that search operations from both sides are ongoing for its two-member crew.

According to Tasnim News Agency, the aircraft was shot down in Kohgiluyeh Province in southwestern Iran, where police called on residents to assist in locating the crew. Iranian media also published images said to show the wreckage, while Axios reported that it may belong to an F-15 fighter jet.

Tasnim said Black Hawk helicopters, a C-130 Hercules aircraft, and reconnaissance drones were deployed to search for the missing crew, adding that air defenses of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) prevented US forces from landing to carry out search operations. The agency also published an image it said showed the aircraft’s ejection seat, claiming it belonged to an F-35 fighter jet. Authorities in Kohgiluyeh announced a reward for information leading to the crew’s whereabouts, according to Fars News Agency.

Iranian authorities have offered a financial reward for the capture of a US pilot or pilots. State Television addressed residents in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province saying, “If you capture an enemy pilot or pilots and hand them over to the police or military forces, you will receive a valuable reward.”

Earlier, the official IRNA news agency quoted the Revolutionary Guard as saying it had targeted a US F-35 fighter jet in central Iran using an advanced air defense system.