US President Donald Trump said the destruction of an American military aircraft would not derail diplomatic talks with Iran, telling reporters, “No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war,” in his first public comment on the incident, according to NBC News. His remark came as military action and diplomatic efforts were reported to be continuing in parallel.
Trump declined to provide details about “search-and-rescue efforts,” calling the matter delicate, and expressed frustration with media coverage of what he described as a “complex and active military operation,” according to the report.
Tehran has meanwhile intensified its military claims, with Iranian sources telling Al Jazeera-citing the Tasnim news agency-that an American A-10 was downed near the Strait of Hormuz; that claim, the outlet noted, could not be independently verified. Technical assessments, however, identified the downed aircraft as an F-15E Strike Eagle, a two-person U.S. fighter-bomber.
U.S. forces recovered one crew member from the jet and the individual is reportedly alive and “in US custody and receiving medical treatment,” CNN reported. The fate of a second crew member remained uncertain as search-and-rescue operations continued, according to accounts cited in media coverage.
Analysis of images released by Iranian media matched wreckage to an F-15, CNN said, and The Wall Street Journal cited Iranian state broadcaster IRIB as first reporting the jet had been targeted. IRIB also circulated a map marking the area where searches for the pilots have been concentrated. Geolocated footage from Iran’s Khuzestan province showed low-flying aircraft in a formation consistent with air-to-air refuelling operations; media outlets noted this is the first time a U.S. aircraft has been reported downed over Iran during the current conflict.
U.S. outlet Axios reported that a rescue mission was underway as Iranian media shared photographs of debris, including a tail fin that appears to bear markings of the 494th Fighter Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath. Despite multiple media reports and imagery, the U.S. military and the White House had not issued an official statement on the pilots’ status at the time of reporting.
The military losses have coincided with a diplomatic setback: negotiations aimed at securing a truce reportedly stalled after Tehran declined to take part in scheduled talks, The Wall Street Journal reported, underscoring how battlefield developments are intersecting with efforts to de-escalate.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-says-downing-of-us-aircraft-wont-affect-iran-talks-11308858#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-04-04 02:56:00
