Trump to Address Rescue of Two U.S. Airmen After F-15E Downed Over Iran

President Trump held a White House news conference Monday to formally address the rescue of both crew members from an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran on Friday, capping a 48-hour ordeal that combined a CIA deception campaign, Delta Force and SEAL Team Six operators, and an escalating nuclear-edged standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump confirmed that a U.S. airman who had gone missing after the F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in Iran had been rescued. The jet's pilot had been rescued soon after the aircraft was downed. Trump described the rescued second airman as "a highly respected Colonel" who is now "SAFE and SOUND." "WE GOT HIM!" Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that "the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History."

The airman survived nearly 48 hours behind enemy lines after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down on Friday. He was rescued from a mountain crevice deep inside Iran. The U.S. military and CIA coordinated on a high-stakes mission that safely rescued the missing crew member, bringing to a close a dramatic and politically perilous moment in the war. Elite Army Delta Force and Navy SEAL Team Six were among the hundreds of special operations troops deployed.

Trump called the rescue "an Easter miracle" in a text message to NBC News and praised U.S. forces for their "strong, decisive" actions. "The Iranians thought they had him, but it wasn't even close," he said. The president also disclosed that the colonel sustained serious injuries but said he "will be just fine."

A frantic U.S. search-and-rescue operation unfolded after the crash on Friday, as Iran also promised a reward for anyone who turned in the "enemy pilot." A second U.S. warplane, an A-10 Warthog, also went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. Two search-and-rescue helicopters were also hit, injuring crews, before safely returning to base.

The rescues unfolded against a rapidly deteriorating diplomatic backdrop. Trump threatened on Saturday that "hell will reign down" on Iran if the regime doesn't agree to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, having previously threatened to strike civilian infrastructure such as power plants. He subsequently set a firm new deadline, posting "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!" on social media Sunday afternoon. Trump had issued a similar two-day ultimatum on March 21, only to extend the deadline to April 6. A senior Iranian official responded Sunday that the strait would not be reopened until the country is "fully compensated" for war damages.

The F-15E was the first U.S. military aircraft shot down inside Iran since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched a surprise attack that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed since the conflict began.

The Tuesday deadline now looms as the defining test of whether brinkmanship over the strait translates into a wider infrastructure campaign or a negotiated off-ramp, with global oil markets already pricing in the risk of either outcome.