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Iran on Monday alleged that the United States rescue mission for the second downed F-15E crew member may have concealed a broader covert objective, claiming it could possibly have been a cover to “steal enriched uranium” from within the country, even as Washington described the operation carried out deep inside Iranian territory as a complex intelligence-led extraction and as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history”.The remarks came after US President Donald Trump said a second crew member of an F-15E fighter jet shot down over Iran had been safely recovered in what he described as a “daring” search-and-rescue operation.
Iran’s military dismissed the mission as “a deception and escape mission”, insisting it had been “completely foiled”. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said there were “many questions and uncertainties” surrounding the operation, AFP reported.“The area where the American pilot was claimed to be present in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province is a long way from the area where they attempted to land or wanted to land their forces in central Iran,” Baqaei said. “The possibility that this was a deception operation to steal enriched uranium should not be ignored at all.”Iranian authorities also said several US aircraft were hit during the mission and forced to make emergency landings in Isfahan province, adding that the US resorted to heavy bombardment of the downed jet. US officials, however, have described the operation as a complex intelligence-led rescue. According to an NBC News report, the Central Intelligence Agency carried out a covert “deception campaign” to mislead Iranian forces while locating the missing crew member.“While the Iranians were confused and uncertain of what was happening, the Agency used its unique, exquisite capabilities to search for — and find — the American,” a senior US official said.The F-15E Strike Eagle had gone down over Iran on Friday amid the escalating conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel that has entered its second month.
