US launches rescue operation after Iranian state TV says fighter jet went down: Report
The US military launched a rescue operation Friday after local Iranian state media said an American fighter jet went down over southwest Iran and at least one crew member ejected, reported AP.
A rescue operation was underway, according to an Israeli military officer briefed on the information who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a US announcement.
Social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where the Iranian channel said at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.
It would mark the first time the US has lost aircraft in Iranian territory and marks a dramatic escalation in the war since it began five weeks ago. It was not clear if the jet was shot down or crashed. The number of crew on board was not immediately known.
The White House, Pentagon and US Central Command didn't immediately respond to several messages seeking comment.
A channel affiliated with Iranian state television claimed Friday that a US fighter pilot ejected from aircraft over southwestern Iran.
The US did not respond immediately to requests for comment on the claim.
It was not clear what may have happened to the plane, including whether Iran was claiming it was shot down or had another issue. If the claim is confirmed, it could lead to yet another dramatic escalation in the war, nearing the end of its fifth week.
Iran fired on targets across the Mideast on Friday, as Tehran kept the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours, despite US and Israeli insistence that Iran's military capabilities have been all but destroyed.
Iran's attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of many basic goods, including food.
Television anchor urges residents to hand over pilot
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any "enemy pilot" to police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometres (5,900 square miles).
Authorities also urged the public to search for the pilot in neighboring Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.
Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time that Iran went on television urging the public to look for a suspected downed pilot.
An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to "shoot them if you see them," referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be US aircraft in the area. The channel showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement but provided no other immediate details.
Israeli military says it is striking 'terror' infrastructure in Beirut
The Israeli military said on Friday it has begun striking what it called "terror infrastructure" in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Reuters reporters heard three loud blasts echoing across the city. Lebanese media outlets said the strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israel's military spokesperson issued a new warning for the entire zone earlier on Friday.
Emirates Global Aluminium says it sustained significant damage in Abu Dhabi
Emirates Global Aluminium says it sustained significant damage in result to Iranian missile and drone attacks at Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi
US fighter jet shot down over Iran, search underway for crew: US official
A US fighter jet was shot down over Iran and a search and rescue operation was underway for any survivors, a US official told Reuters on Friday, in the first such known incident since the US launched its war with Iran on February 28.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not respond to requests for comment.
The prospect of US pilots being alive and on the run inside Iran during an ongoing conflict greatly raises the stakes for the United States in the conflict. Iranian officials called on civilians to be on the lookout for survivors.
The governor of Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said whomever captured or killed the crew "would be specially commended," according to the semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA.
Iran leaders join crowds on Tehran's streets to project control in wartime
After more than a month of being stalked by targeted assassinations, Iran's leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control - with senior officials walking openly in the streets among small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic Republic.
In recent days, Iran's president and foreign minister have separately mixed with groups of several hundred people in central Tehran.
On Tuesday, state television aired footage of the two posing for selfies, talking to members of the public and shaking hands with supporters who had gathered in public areas.
According to insiders and analysts, the appearances are part of a calculated effort by Iran's theocratic leadership to project resilience and authority — not only over the vital Strait of Hormuz but also over the population — despite a sustained US-Israeli campaign aimed at "obliterating" it.
One insider close to the hardline establishment said such public outings are intended to show that the Islamic Republic is "unshaken by strikes and that it remains in control and vigilant" as the war grinds on.
The US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 with the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders in waves of strikes that have since continued to target top officials.
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since taking over on March 8 from his father.
Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi, meanwhile, was removed from Israel's hit list amid mediation efforts last month, including by Pakistan, to bring Tehran and Washington together for talks to end the war.
Talks aimed at ending the war have since appeared to have petered out, as Tehran brands US peace proposals "unrealistic".
Against that backdrop, recent public appearances by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araqchi appear designed to project defiance, if not a convincing display of public support.
A senior Iranian source said officials' public presence demonstrates that "the establishment is not intimidated by Israel's targeted killing of top Iranian figures".
Asked whether Iran's foreign minister or president were on any sort of kill list, an Israeli military spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, said on Friday he would not "speak about specific personnel."
Nightly rallies to show resilience
Despite widespread destruction, Tehran appears emboldened by surviving weeks of intense US-Israeli attacks, firing on Gulf countries hosting US troops and demonstrating its ability to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran, without offering a timeline for ending hostilities.
Tehran responded by warning the United States and Israel that "more crushing, broader and more destructive" attacks were in store.
Encouraged by clerical rulers, supporters of the Islamic Republic take to the streets each night, filling public squares to show loyalty even as bombs rain down across the country.
Analysts say the establishment is also seeking to raise the "political and reputational" cost of the strikes at a time when civilian casualties are deeply disturbing for Iranians.
Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank, said the decision to send officials into gatherings reflects a layered strategy, including an effort to sustain the morale of core supporters at a moment of acute pressure.
"The system relies heavily on this base; if its supporters withdraw from public space, its ability to project control and authority weakens significantly," Memarian said.
Speaking to state television, some in the crowds voice unwavering loyalty to Iran's leadership; others oppose the bombing of their country regardless of politics; and some have a stake in the system, including government employees, students and others whose livelihoods are tied to it.
Hadi Ghaemi, head of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the establishment is using such loyal crowds as human shields to raise the cost of any assassination attempts.
"By being in the middle of large crowds they have protections that would make Israeli-American attacks against them very bloody and generate sympathy worldwide," he said.
Potential protesters stay off streets at night
The Islamic Republic emerged from a 1979 revolution backed by millions of Iranians. But decades of rule marked by corruption, repression and mismanagement have thinned that support, alienating many ordinary people.
While there has been little sign so far of anti-government protests that erupted in January and abated after a deadly crackdown, the establishment has adopted harsh measures - such as arrests, executions and large-scale deployment of security forces - to prevent any sparks of dissent.
Rights groups have warned about "rushed executions" during wartime after Iran hanged at least seven political prisoners during the war.
"Many potential protesters are frightened by the continuing presence of armed men and violent crowds in the streets and largely stay at home once darkness falls," Ghaemi said.
Iran confirms death of Rezaei, head of IRGC Navy Intelligence Directorate: Report
Iran’s IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) has confirmed the death of Behnam Rezaei, head of the IRGC Navy Intelligence Directorate, in a statement today, as reported by BBC.
President Donald Trump says US can 'easily open Strait of Hormuz, take oil and make a fortune'
President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. can open the Strait of Hormuz with a little more time, as pressure mounts for his administration to find a quick resolution to a war against Iran.
"With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL,& MAKE A FORTUNE," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Nearly five weeks after it started with a joint U.S.-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil financial markets, raising the pressure on Trump to find a quick resolution to the conflict.
Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz , a key waterway that carries about a fifth of the world's total oil consumption, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that began in late February. Reopening it has become a priority for governments around the world as energy prices soar.
In the speech on Wednesday night, Trump repeated his threats against Iran's civilian power plants and gave no clear timeline for ending hostilities, drawing vows of retaliation from Iran and depressing share prices.
Falling debris in UAE hurts 12, five Indians injured: Report
At least 12 people were injured in Abu Dhabi on Friday after falling debris from an intercepted attack, the government media office reported.
According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office on X, the incident in the Ajban area caused minor to moderate injuries to six Nepali nationals and five Indian nationals, while one Nepali national sustained serious injuries, as reported by Times of India.
Drone strike hits Red Cross aid warehouse in southern Iran
A drone strike in southern Iran hit a warehouse holding aid containers and emergency vehicles, a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Friday.
The strike in the southern province of Bushehr early on Friday destroyed two containers, two buses and an unspecified number of emergency vehicles, the spokesperson said. She did not attribute blame and Reuters could not immediately establish responsibility.
The IFRC is the only humanitarian group working across the country and has 100,000 responders. Three of them have been killed since the US-Israeli strikes on the country began on February 28.
Its head of delegation in Iran told Reuters on Thursday that medical needs were rising exponentially and supplies could run low.
Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines LNG tanker 'Sohar' crosses Strait of Hormuz
A Japanese liquefied natural gas tanker has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, its joint owner Mitsui OSK Lines said on Friday.
Crew members on the Panama-flagged ship, "SOHAR LNG", remain safe, a Mitsui OSK Lines spokesperson told Reuters, while declining to disclose when it crossed the strait and whether there was any kind of negotiations to do so.
The Asahi newspaper earlier on Friday reported that the ship was the first Japanese vessel to have exited the Strait of Hormuz since the onset of the Iran war.
Britain deploys Rapid Sentry air defence system to Kuwait: Starmer
Britain is deploying its Rapid Sentry air defence system to Kuwait to help protect British and Kuwaiti interests in the Gulf, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said on Friday, after an overnight Iranian drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil facility.
Starmer discussed the deployment in a call with Kuwait's Crown Prince Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah on Friday morning, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
"The Prime Minister began by condemning the reckless overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery," the spokesperson said. "He reiterated that the UK stands with Kuwait and all our allies in the Gulf."
The spokesperson said the leaders discussed the deployment of the UK's air defence system - designed primarily to shoot down drones and other low-flying aerial threats - to Kuwait, which would protect Kuwaiti and British personnel and interests in the region, while avoiding escalation into a wider conflict.
Starmer and the crown prince also discussed disruption to global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and welcomed a meeting chaired by British foreign minister Yvette Cooper on Thursday to draw up a plan to reopen the vital shipping route.
CMA CGM container ship has crossed through Strait of Hormuz: Report
A container ship belonging to French shipping group CMA CGM has crossed through the Strait of Hormuz, BFM TV, which belongs to the shipping company, said on Friday.
It was not immediately clear how the vessel secured safe passage through the strait, a narrow waterway through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass. The Hormuz Strait has been effectively closed since the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28.
CMA CGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. France's foreign ministry declined to comment.
Abu Dhabi says debris from intercepted threat hit Habshan gas facilities, 12 people injured
Debris from an intercepted aerial threat fell on Abu Dhabi's Habshan gas facilities, prompting a temporary suspension of operations and a fire that emergency teams were working to contain, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.
Media office reported that 12 people have been injured in Abu Dhabi's Abjan area after debris fell from interception.
Bahrain waters down UN proposal over opposition to allowing force to open Strait of Hormuz
Bahrain has significantly watered down a proposed UN resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz amid opposition from China and Russia about allowing countries to use force to secure the critical waterway Iran has largely cut off to global shipping.
The final draft of the proposal, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, authorizes defensive - but not offensive - action to ensure vessels can safely transit the strait. One-fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the waterway, where Iran's stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring.
Bahrain's initial draft would have allowed countries "to use all necessary means" - UN language that would include possible military action - "in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman" to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with navigation.
Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries on the 15-member Security Council, had expressed opposition to approving the use of force. The final draft eliminates any reference to allowing offensive military action.
The Security Council originally scheduled a vote on the resolution for Friday, which is a UN holiday for Good Friday. But it later cancelled that meeting, and UN diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the new timing before it has been announced, said the vote was now expected to be held Saturday.
The three countries' views on the changes are not known, so the vote will be closely watched, and the delay will give diplomats more time to avoid a veto.
The proposal now authorizes countries "to use all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances in the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters" to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with international navigation "for a period of at least six months."
It says countries acting alone on in "multinational naval partnerships" can take defensive means provided advance notification is given to the Security Council.
It comes after US President Donald Trump said in an address Wednesday that America and Israel will continue to bomb Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks but gave no definitive end date for the conflict. Iran has kept up retailatory attacks in the region and its chokehold on the strait has been a pain point for Trump and the world as rising energy prices roil the global economy.
Before Bahrain released its final draft, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the proposal "does not solve the puzzle." He said what would do so is ending the hostilities.
China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong opposed the original draft's authorization for the use of force, calling it "unlawful and indiscriminate." Speaking to the council earlier Thursday, he warned that it "would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences." He urged the council "to proceed with caution" and actively work for de-escalation and dialogue.
France's UN Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont also called for de-escalation, telling the council that "defensive measures that avoid any broad use of force need to be promoted." He later indicated that the new draft focusing on defense might be acceptable.
The Security Council adopted a Bahrain-sponsored resolution on March 11 condemning Iran's "egregious attacks" on Gulf nations and called for Tehran to immediately halt its strikes, which followed the US and Israel launching the war on February 28.
That resolution, adopted by a vote of 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, also condemned Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a threat to international peace and security and called for an immediate end to all actions blocking shipping.
Kuwait says Iranian attack damaged desalination plant
Kuwait said on Friday an Iranian attack damaged a desalination plant.
The attack came after an oil refinery was hit by drones on Friday morning.
Kuwait said without elaborating that the attack on the desalination plant caused "material damage to some of the plant's components."
Desalination provides the majority of the water for the Gulf Arab states and Iran, drawing the salty waters of the Persian Gulf into drinking water for the desert region.
About 90 per cent of drinking water in Kuwait comes from desalination.
Desalination plants have become a major target in the war, with Iran initially accusing the US and Israel of striking one before beginning to target them in the Gulf Arab states. Those states view attacks on desalination plants as a threat to their very livelihoods.
Drones hit Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, fires reported, no injuries
Iranian drones struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on Friday, sparking fires at the facility.
The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. issued a statement on the attack and said firefighters were working to control the blazes.
There were no injuries reported, the company said.
Kuwait operates three oil refineries. Mina al-Ahmadi has come under attack multiple times in the war.
Refineries are key to Kuwait's oil production because, without them, oil wells would have to be shut down for lack of a destination for the oil.
Restarting refineries is extremely time-consuming for safety reasons, and those wells would remain largely inactive until refineries are back online.
Iran says second US F-35 fighter jet shot down over central Iran
Iran says second U.S. F-35 fighter jet shot down over central Iran: Iran’s Mehr
Iran says pilot survival unlikely: Iran’s Mehr
Trump threatens to strike Iran's bridges and electric power plants
US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday about striking and destroying bridges and electric power plants in Iran in his latest threat to hit the country's infrastructure.
The U.S. military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants," Trump wrote on social media.
His post said that Iran's leadership "knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!"
Iran claims to be drafting proposal with Oman to 'monitor' Strait of Hormuz
Iran on Thursday claimed its drafting a proposal with Oman to 'monitor' Strait of Hormuz. The comments by Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency, described the proposal as "intended to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships passing through this route."
Iran's attacks on shipping in the region, as well as reportedly demanding as much as USD 2 million for passage through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, have created a stranglehold on the route.
It is unclear what the proposal would mean. Oman did not immediately acknowledge it. The strait runs through Iranian and Omani territorial waters but is considered an international waterway that should freely allow ships to pass.
"Naturally, when we face an act of aggression, navigation encounters serious problems, and this is the result of the aggressive act," Gharibabadi said. "We are currently at war and cannot expect pre-war rules to govern wartime conditions."
No sign of war winding down in Middle East as Friday dawns with attacks across region
There was little sign Friday of the war in the Middle East winding down as Israel said it faced incoming fire from Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain reported being under attack, and Iran said eight people were killed while celebrating the close of Persian new year near a major bridge hit by a US strike.
Tehran continued to demonstrate its ability to strike its neighbours even as US President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and cheered the collapse of the bridge on Thursday, reportedly the tallest in the Middle East.
Iran decried the strike on the bridge, which also injured 95 people celebrating Nature Day, when Iranians gather for picnics and other celebrations outdoors on the last day of Nowruz, the Persian new year.
"Striking civilian infrastructure only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote Thursday in a post on X.
Iran's attacks on Gulf states along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond the Middle East. That has proved to be Iran's greatest strategic advantage in the war. Britain held a call with nearly three dozen countries about how to reopen the strait once the fighting is over.
Trump has insisted the strait can be taken by force - but said it is not up to the US to do that. In an address to the American people Wednesday night, he encouraged countries that depend on oil from Hormuz to "build some delayed courage" and go "take it."
Meanwhile, USS Gerald R Ford has left Croatia. The largest American aircraft carrier in service sailed out of Split and "remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation," the Navy's 6th Fleet announced Thursday.
It was unclear where it was going. It went to Croatia after a stop in Souda Bay, Greece, for repairs after a fire in its laundry room. It underwent further repairs in Croatia and saw its sailors take liberty while at port.
The Ford left Norfolk, Virginia, on June 24, 2025, making its deployment one of the longest in Navy history.
If it heads to the Middle East, it would have to pass through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Yemen's Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have entered the war and begun firing on Israel, meaning the Ford could face fire from them.
The USS Abraham Lincoln remains in the Arabian Sea. The US military's Central Command said Friday that it "continues to conduct flight operations, both day and night."
The USS George H W Bush aircraft carrier departed Norfolk on Wednesday to head to the Middle East.
