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Donald Trump praised the US fighter pilot rescued from an Iranian mountain at the weekend.
The pilot was inside the F-15E Strike Eagle jet that was shot down Iran on Friday, the first US aircraft to become brought down by Iranian fire since the US and Israel launched war at the end of last February.
While the second crew member was found shortly after the crash, Sky News understands he was stranded in rural Iran, and was rescued on Sunday.
At a press conference at the White House on Easter Monday, US president said that the two pilots were “very brave” and that Iran was “not as strong as it was a month ago”.
Here’s what we know about the airman’s condition, his rescue mission, and what the president and Iran are saying.
Iran war latest: Trump praises ‘courageous’ US pilot after rescue
How did the US save the airman?
After Friday’s crash, Iran’s official and semi-official news organizations reported that the regional governor had offered a reward for the F-15E crew – around $60,000 (£45,360).
A US official told Reuters news agency that the plane was flying over Isfahan province when it was brought down, and that the two pilots ejected separately.
They said the first pilot was rescued while the second pilot – the jet’s weapons specialist, and according to Trump on Truth Social, a colonel – remained in Iran.
Speaking to Reuters, a US source said the American officer sprained his ankle in the crash and hid in a crevice at the top of the hill.
The airman then established contact with the US military and confirmed his identity.
Afterward, a senior Trump administration official said that the CIA had carried out previous deception campaigns, hoping to confuse Tehran by providing information that US forces had located the missing airman and removed him before the operation was carried out.
An official told Reuters that the US military then took additional steps, jamming electronic devices and bombing main roads around the site to prevent people from approaching.
They said the planes ultimately sent to eject aircrews and rescue troops were smaller turboprop planes, capable of landing on small airfields and relatively light.
What happens during a rescue mission?
Initial search efforts met fierce resistance, with two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search reportedly hit by Iranian fire but they managed to escape.
In a separate incident, a pilot ejected from an A-10 Warthog fighter plane after the plane was hit in Kuwait and crashed, officials said, although the extent of the crew’s injuries remained unclear.
The conflict has left 13 US service members dead, and more than 300 people injured, US Central Command said. No US soldiers are being held captive by Iran.
Two MC-130 planes carrying about 100 special operations troops into rugged terrain south of Tehran suffered mechanical failure and were unable to take off.
Their commander made a high-risk decision, ordering additional planes to fly to Iran to extract the group in waves.
US forces later destroyed the disabled MC-130 and four additional helicopters in Iran.
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What did Trump say?
During the surgery, Trump remained relatively calm online, and a local reporter checked to see if he was at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC.
But after the mission was completed, the US president said on Truth Social: “Over the last few hours, the United States Military conducted one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History.”
He added that the airman was injured, but “he will be OK”, before saying: “This is the first time in military memory that two US Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory.
“WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AMERICAN WAR PLAYERS!”
At an Easter event at the White House, Trump said of the rescue that “usually you’re in very hostile territory, and I don’t think there’s any more hostile than (Iran), and they’re capable fighters.”
“You don’t mind if the enemy is weak, but the enemy is strong, not as strong as about a month ago, I can tell you,” he added.
“In fact, right now I don’t think they’re very strong at all, but we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”
The US president also said that “what we did yesterday was we didn’t take one, we took two” – referring to the first pilot thought to have been rescued. It’s unclear whether he misspoke.
He added: “We kept calm on the first plane, and we were able to keep calm for about a day, which made it a lot better. But those two pilots were very brave, and we thank them.”
What did Iran say?
Iranian state TV on Sunday showed images of black smoke from a destroyed American transport plane and two helicopters.
Iranian state media on Friday also said a second US plane – an A-10 – crashed after being hit by Iranian forces.
The US military has not commented on the status of the plane or its crew.
And regarding US rescue efforts on Sunday, Iran said several planes were destroyed.
