One US service member was rescued and at least one was missing after Iran shot down two US military planes in separate attacks in a dramatic development in the war began nearly five weeks ago.
It was the first time US aircraft had been downed in the conflict and came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has “beaten and completely decimated Iran”.
One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said.
A US crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a US military search-and-rescue operation was under way.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon released public information about the downed planes.
In a brief telephone interview with NBC News on Friday, Mr Trump declined to discuss the search-and-rescue efforts but said what happened would not affect negotiations with Iran.
“No, not at all. No, it’s war,” he said.
Separately, Iranian state media said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defence forces.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.
The war, now entering its sixth week, is destabilising economies around the world as Iran responds to the US and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region’s energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
