U.S. Rescue Operation Recovered Two Downed Airmen Deep in Iran, White House Officials Say

President Donald J. Trump and senior officials described two combat search‑and‑rescue operations that recovered the crew of a U.S. F‑15 that went down deep inside Iranian territory.

Trump said the jets were struck during "Operation Epic Fury" and that both crew members ejected. "We leave no American behind," he said, framing the recoveries as a national imperative and praising the "genius" of the personnel involved. The president said the first pilot was located and extracted by an HH‑60 "Jolly Green II" helicopter under heavy fire and that a second crew member, a weapons system officer, evaded capture while wounded before being recovered after a broader operation.

John Ratcliffe, identified at the briefing as CIA director, credited agency human and technical assets with locating the concealed airman and said the agency executed a deception campaign to misdirect Iranian searchers. "At the president's direction, we deployed both human assets and exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service in the world possesses," Ratcliffe said, while declining to discuss classified details.

A senior defense official described the joint rescue package and a continuous coordination cell kept open for 45 hours and 56 minutes while forces worked to locate, fix and recover the airmen. Officials said multiple aircraft types, refueling tankers and rescue assets penetrated hostile airspace; they repeated that no U.S. lives were lost in the operations.

The White House said the recoveries illustrate the interagency capability to operate under high risk. Officials repeatedly credited the president's direction for authorizing and sustaining the missions.