Iran claimed on Monday that the US rescue mission for the second crew member of a downed F-15E may have concealed a broader secret target, alleging it may have been a cover for the “theft of enriched uranium” from within the country, even as Washington described the operation carried out deep inside Iranian territory as a complex intelligence-led extraction operation and “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history.”These statements came after US President Donald Trump said that a second crew member of the F-15E fighter jet that was shot down over Iran had been safely recovered in what he described as a “bold” search and rescue operation.
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On camera: Iran leaks details of the American plane; Release of a new video of the destruction of a C-130 aircraft from Isfahan
The Iranian military dismissed the mission as a “deception and escape mission,” insisting it was “completely foiled.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Al-Bikai said there were “many questions and doubts” surrounding the operation.Al-Bikai said: “The area where the American pilot is allegedly located in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces is very far from the area where they tried to land or wanted to land their forces in central Iran.” He added: “The possibility that this was a scam to steal enriched uranium should not be ignored at all.”Iranian authorities also said that several American planes were hit during the mission and were forced to make an emergency landing in Isfahan province, adding that the United States resorted to violent bombing of the plane that it shot down.
However, US officials described the operation as a complex intelligence-led rescue operation. According to an NBC News report, the CIA carried out a covert “campaign of deception” to mislead Iranian forces while locating the missing crew member.“While the Iranians were confused and unsure of what was happening, the agency used its unique and remarkable capabilities to search for and find the American,” a senior US official said.An F-15E Strike Eagle went down over Iran on Friday amid the escalating conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel that has entered its second month.