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A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle on 16 July 2020.<\/p>\n
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
One crew member was rescued Friday after Iranian forces shot down a U.S. fighter jet, MS NOW reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n The U.S. was searching for the second member of the F-15 aircraft’s crew, whose whereabouts were unknown, according to MS Now, which cited two U.S. officials.<\/p>\n The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately comment. President Donald Trump<\/a> has been briefed on the U.S. aircraft going down and the search for the crew, a White House official said.<\/p>\n It appeared to be the first known loss of a U.S. jet in the country since the war in Iran started in late February.<\/p>\n The downing of the jet comes at a delicate time, when the U.S. has showed few signs of slowing its assault on Iran and reports of potential peace talks did not yield a breakthrough. The death toll from the conflict is nearing 5,100 across the Middle East, according to MS NOW.<\/p>\n The war has now gone on for more than a month, suffocating tanker traffic through the critical Strait of Hormuz<\/a> and threatening supplies of crude oil, fertilizer and other key commodities.<\/p>\n Trump claimed in a social media post Friday that with more time, the U.S. could “easily” open the strait, “TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”<\/p>\n Trump also threatened late Thursday to escalate attacks on Iranian infrastructure.<\/a> He said the U.S. “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” citing bridges and electric power plants.<\/p>\n In remarks Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. would attack Iran “back to the Stone Ages.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n