A U.S. jet goes down over Iran, a U.S. official confirm : NPR

A bridge hit by US airstrikes on Thursday is visible on Friday in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran.

Vahid Salemi/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Vahid Salemi/AP

A U.S. fighter jet crashed in Iran and a crew member was rescued, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The official said U.S. forces were searching for the second crew member.

Iranian state media were the first to report that the plane had been shot down.

Photos posted on Telegram by Iran’s Fars news agency showed debris from what appeared to be a US plane. A piece of debris in the photos looks a lot like the vertical stabilizer of an F-15 Strike Eagle. Another photo published by an IRGC-affiliated channel appears to show an empty F-15 ejection seat.

NPR could not immediately verify where the photos were taken.

The F-15 is a tactical fighter that typically carries a crew of two, according to the Air Force.

Numerous videos have also emerged showing planes and helicopters that closely resemble US search and rescue (SAR) planes flying in southwest Iran. NPR was able to geolocate one of the videos to a bridge in Khuzestan province.

The bridge is located in a mountainous area about 100 miles inland. In the video, a plane appears to be refueling two helicopters while flying at low altitude.

A second video also appears to have been filmed in Khuzestan, near the town of Behbahan, although its precise location is unclear.

This is the second time in recent weeks that a US plane has been confirmed to have been hit by enemy fire. In mid-March, a US F-35 aircraft was hit by a missile, causing significant damage to the aircraft and injuring the pilot.

NPR learned at the time that the F-35 jet was able to return to base, but the plane made a hard landing. The pilot was injured by shrapnel and required stitches.

This is breaking news and will be updated.

NPR D. Parvaz and the RAD team contributed to this report.