By Gloria Ogbonna
President Donald Trump reportedly said Friday that the shooting down of a U.S. F-15E fighter jet over Iran would not alter ongoing diplomatic negotiations, emphasizing the reality of the conflict by stating bluntly, “It’s war.”
According to Garrett Haake, Senior White House Correspondent for NBC News, the president declined to provide specific details about the situation when approached for comment.
“I just spoke briefly with President Trump,” Haake wrote in a post on X. “He declined to discuss any details of the ongoing, intensive search for the missing pilot in Iran. I asked if today’s events would affect negotiations with Iran: ‘No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war, Garrett.’”
The downing of the F-15E has sparked urgent search-and-rescue efforts. According to reporting by Oliver JJ Lane of Breitbart News, American officials told CBS News that one crew member had been successfully recovered by U.S. forces. However, a second crew member remains missing, and recovery operations are ongoing.
CBS News cited U.S. officials who confirmed that while one individual from the downed aircraft is now safe, teams continue searching for the other service member under challenging and uncertain conditions.
Meanwhile, the BBC News reported that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that the president had been briefed on the situation. Her remarks marked the first time a named U.S. official publicly confirmed the incident, though details remain limited.
The circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s downing are still unclear. Questions remain about the type of missile system involved, the location of the strike, and the precise sequence of events leading to the crash.
Adding another layer of complexity, three Iranian officials reportedly told The New York Times that Iranian authorities are also searching for the missing American pilot. According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has closed off an area in southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, where they believe the aircraft went down.
The development underscores the volatility of the conflict, even as diplomatic efforts reportedly continue in parallel. Despite the loss of advanced U.S. military hardware and the uncertainty surrounding the missing crew member, Trump’s comments suggest the administration intends to separate battlefield developments from ongoing negotiations.
As recovery operations continue and more information emerges, the downing of the F-15E represents one of the most serious single incidents in the current phase of hostilities, raising fresh questions about both military strategy and diplomatic prospects.
Sourcr Breitbart
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