Can anyone find our pilots, please?: Iran mocks US after fighter jets downed

Iran ridiculed the United States after American jets were downed, with Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf mocking Washington's "no-strategy war" and highlighting the scramble to locate missing pilots.

In Short

• Iranian parliament speaker mocked US after jet was shot down
• He described US military offensive as a 'no-strategy war'
• Iran announces $60,000 bounty for locating missing US pilot

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf on Saturday ridiculed the United States after reports emerged that American aircraft were shot down over southwestern Iran. In a post on X, he described the US military offensive as a “no-strategy war,” sarcastically noting that its goal of regime change had been reduced to scrambling for missing pilots.

"After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from regime change to Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please? Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses," Ghalibaf wrote.

The incidents marked the first time US aircraft were downed in the conflict, occurring just two days after President Donald Trump claimed in a national address that the US had “beaten and completely decimated Iran” and would “finish the job very fast.”

Earlier, US officials confirmed that Iran shot down two American planes on Friday. One fighter jet crashed in Iran, with a crew member rescued and at least one missing. A US search-and-rescue operation was immediately launched.

The Pentagon confirmed in an email to news agency Associated Press that it had received notification of "an aircraft being shot down" in the region but did not provide further details.

Separately, Iranian state media reported that a US A-10 attack aircraft went down in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian forces. A US official, speaking anonymously, said it was unclear whether the plane was shot down or crashed independently, and the status of the crew was not yet known.

Iranian state media later claimed that a US F-15E Strike Eagle, which carries both a pilot and a weapons systems officer, had been downed. The reports also said a rescue helicopter was hit, and Tehran announced a USD 60,000 bounty for anyone locating the missing pilot.

For the first time in the month-long conflict, US aircraft were shot down, occurring just two days after President Donald Trump claimed in a national address that the US had "beaten and completely decimated Iran" and promised to "finish the job very fast".

The attacks came amid a wider Iranian offensive across the Middle East, maintaining pressure on Israel and Gulf Arab states despite repeated US and Israeli assertions that Iran's military capabilities were largely neutralised.

The incidents have intensified fears over Gulf energy security. Iran's strikes on oil infrastructure and control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil and gas passes, have rattled markets, pushed oil prices higher, and threatened to increase costs for basic goods, including food.

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