US intensifies search for missing pilot after Tehran calls Iranians to help capture ‘enemy’

The United States has intensified efforts to locate a missing pilot after Iran shot down a US warplane, with Tehran urging civilians to report or capture the “enemy pilot”, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.

Iran said the aircraft was a F-15E Strike Eagle, one of two US planes targeted, with one crew member rescued and another unaccounted for. The incident marks the first confirmed loss of US aircraft within Iranian territory since the war began on 28 February.

US military search-and-rescue teams were deployed to a mountainous region in southwestern Iran, where the aircraft was believed to have gone down.

The Pentagon confirmed it had received notification of an aircraft being shot down but did not disclose operational details.

Iranian state-linked media called on citizens to hand over any “enemy pilot” to authorities, while officials offered rewards for capture, underlining the high-stakes nature of the incident.

Iranian media also reported that a US A-10 Thunderbolt II crashed in the Persian Gulf after being hit by Iranian defences, though US officials said it remained unclear whether the aircraft was shot down or the cause of the crash.

Continued strikes, widening conflict

Hostilities continued across the region, with missile and drone strikes reported on multiple fronts.

An apparent Iranian drone strike damaged the Dubai headquarters of Oracle Corporation, though authorities in Dubai said no injuries were reported.

Iran also reported strikes near the Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building, marking the fourth such incident during the conflict.

Israel said it carried out fresh strikes on Tehran, while also targeting infrastructure linked to Iran-backed groups in Lebanon.

Diplomatic signals amid escalation

Despite the intensifying conflict, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Tehran remains open to talks, potentially mediated by Pakistan.

“We have never refused to go to Islamabad,” he said, though no timeline for negotiations has been confirmed.

US President Donald Trump said the downing of the aircraft would not affect potential negotiations.

The conflict has disrupted global trade and energy flows, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has restricted traffic, contributing to rising fuel prices worldwide.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also hinted at possible disruption of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, another critical global shipping route.

According to conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, with casualties also reported across Israel, Lebanon and Gulf countries.

The downing of US aircraft and the search for a missing pilot underline the evolving risks in the conflict, even as both sides continue military operations and signal limited openness to diplomacy.

There is no immediate indication of de-escalation.