War: Double crash, single chase

Trump reminds Iran of deadline: 48 hrs before hell will rain down

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

The search is on for one missing US service member while another was rescued after two US warplanes went down in separate incidents including the first shoot-down since the Iran war began nearly five weeks ago.

The incidents occurred just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has “beaten and completely decimated Iran”. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned in his latest salvo against Iran, saying that if Tehran does not adhere to his deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz, “hell will rain down on them.”

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will rain down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote on Truth Social. Earlier, Trump had extended the deadline to reopen the critical energy chokepoint by 10 days, pushing it to April 6 after expressing optimism about ongoing talks with Iran.

Officials said that one fighter jet was shot down in Iran. A US crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a US military search-and-rescue operation was underway. The US military pressed ahead in a frantic search for a missing pilot over a remote area in southwestern Iran, after the Middle Eastern country shot down an American warplane and called on people to turn the pilot in, promising a reward.

The plane, identified by Iran as a US F-15E Strike Eagle, was one of two attacked on Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing. It was the first time the US lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the war, now in its sixth week, and could mark a new turning point in the campaign.

Separately, Iranian state media said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces.