What we're covering
• US aircraft downed: The status of a US service member remains unknown after their F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iran. The jet’s other crew member was rescued, US sources told CNN. In a separate incident, a US military plane was struck by Iran, according to a US official. The US has now lost at least seven manned aircraft during the war.
• Rescue operation: US forces have launched search and rescue efforts for the service member from the downed F-15, according to sources. Meanwhile, Tehran has promised a reward for Iranians who find them and hand them over.
• Strikes continue: At least one person was killed in an attack on a residential area in the north of Tehran, Iranian state media reported. And the Israel Defense Forces said that rescue teams were on the way to sites in central Israel where there were “reports of impact.”
Iranian commander says "innovations" in air defenses helped bring down US jets
A senior Iranian military commander has said the country’s forces are “hunting” American aircraft using new methods and equipment. His comments came as two US military jets were downed on the same day.
Yesterday, a US Air Force F-15 was shot down over Iran, with a crew member still missing, while an A-10 Thunderbolt II was struck and crashed just after leaving Iranian territory.
Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, commander of Iran’s Joint Air Defense Base, said the loss of the US aircraft was “the result of tactics, the use of modern equipment, and innovations in (Iran’s) air defense systems,” the state-affiliated IRNA news agency reported. Elhami did not elaborate on what those innovations were.
“This has caused confusion and bewilderment for the enemy,” he said.
The F-15 is the first manned US aircraft known to have been shot down over Iran during the conflict.
How survival training prepares US fighter jet crew for enemy fire
CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton explains how survival training prepares US fighter jet aircrews for enemy fire — like in the recent downing of a US F-15 in Iran.
CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton explains how survival training prepares US fighter jet aircrews for enemy fire—like in the recent downing of a US F-15 in Iran.
As war drags on, the global oil crisis is turning into an everything crisis
One month into the war in Iran, a growing shortage of crude oil is threatening to morph into something worse: a shortage of nearly everything.
The conflict in the Middle East has crimped oil and natural gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, reducing global supply by about one-fifth. The disruption has not only sent fuel prices soaring, but has squeezed supplies of petrochemicals needed to make everyday items like shoes, clothing and plastic bags.
The war in Iran is reshaping industries, with oil prices surging as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout explains how the energy crisis is affecting plastic products in South Korea, from supply chains to everyday consumer goods.
That strain is now spreading into every corner of the consumer market as prices rise for materials like plastic, rubber and polyester. The impact is so far most evident in Asia, which accounts for more than half of the world’s manufacturing and is heavily reliant on imports for oil and other commodities.
“This spills into everything very, very quickly: beer, noodles, chips, toys, cosmetics,” said Dan Martin, co-head of business intelligence at Dezan Shira & Associates, an advisory firm that helps international businesses expand in Asia.
That’s because plastic caps, crates, snack bags and containers are becoming more difficult to procure. Petroleum derivatives are also needed to make adhesives for footwear and furniture, industrial lubricants for machinery and solvents for paints and cleaning processes, Martin added.
Read how the shortage of crude oil is straining the consumer market.
US Air Force has now lost at least seven aircraft in Iran war
The losses of a US Air Force F-15 and an A-10 in separate incidents on Friday bring the known toll of manned aircraft destroyed in the war with Iran to seven.
A look at how the other five aircraft were lost:
- March 2: Three F-15s were downed by Kuwaiti air defenses in a “friendly fire” incident over Kuwait. All six crew members ejected safely, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week that the three pilots had returned to action in raids on Iran.
- March 12: Six US air crew were killed when their KC-135 jet tanker crashed in Iraq. The US military said the refueling aircraft was not downed by hostile or friendly fire, but was involved in an incident with another aircraft while participating in Operation Epic Fury. The second aircraft landed safely, it said.
- March 27: A US Air Force E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft was destroyed on the tarmac in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, photos geolocated by CNN show. CNN reported that an attack on the air base left at least 10 US service members injured. No fatalities were reported. A US Air Force tanker aircraft was also damaged, sources said.
Additionally, a US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a US air base in the Middle East last month after it was struck by what is believed to have been Iranian fire, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
This post has been updated to correct the date the E-3 Sentry was destroyed.
Music school in Tehran "wiped out" by strike
A music school in Tehran had been a safe haven for Iranians young and old, before it was destroyed by an air strike during the US-Israeli war with Iran. The destruction has been devastating for the schools owners, staff and students.
A music school in Tehran had been a safe haven for Iranians young and old, before it was destroyed by an air strike during the US-Israeli war with Iran. The destruction has been devastating for the schools owners, staff and students.
Debris falls on Dubai office of US tech giant Oracle
Debris from an aerial intercept fell on the façade of the office of tech giant Oracle in Dubai, the city’s government media office said Saturday.
No injuries were reported in what the office called a “minor incident.”
Some context: Oracle was one of 17 US tech companies Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to attack earlier this week if US and Israeli strikes kill more Iranian leaders, according to the semi-official Fars news outlet.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is an ally of US President Donald Trump, who last month named Ellison to his newly formed President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Iranian state media reports at least one killed in north Tehran missile attack
At least one person was killed in a “missile attack” in a residential area of northern Tehran Saturday morning, according to Iranian state-affiliated Mehr News.
In a video report, a news correspondent shows several blown-out cars and a pool of blood on the road, said to be in north Tehran.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said early Saturday it was providing emergency assistance to an area in north Tehran in the wake of overnight strikes.
A video posted by the humanitarian organization showed a building blackened and gutted by an attack.
What we know about the two US aircraft downed in the Middle East
A US F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iran, three US sources said on Friday.
And in a separate incident on the same day, a US military A-10 Thunderbolt was struck, according to a US official familiar with the matter.
Here’s what we know so far about the two aircraft:
About the F-15
US forces have launched search and rescue efforts for the downed fighter jet, two sources said. One of two crew members has been rescued and is receiving medical attention in US custody, according to sources. The status of the other service member is unknown.
One of the US sources also confirmed the aircraft was an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet.
Video geolocated by CNN showed multiple low-flying military aircraft over Khuzestan province in central Iran as part of an apparent search and rescue operation.
It’s the first time a manned US aircraft has been shot down over Iran during the conflict. Near the beginning of the war, three F-15s were mistakenly shot down in a friendly fire incident by Kuwaiti air defenses.
About the A-10
An A-10 Thunderbolt II, nicknamed the Warthog, was struck by Iran on Friday, forcing the pilot to eject, according to a US official familiar with the matter.
The pilot was able to fly the plane out of Iranian territory before ejecting, and was subsequently rescued, the official said.
Iran’s military claimed to have hit the aircraft, saying it crashed into the Persian Gulf after Iran’s air defense systems targeted it near the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported, citing a statement from the army’s public relations office.
Kevin Liptak, Michael Rios, Haley Britzky, Alayna Treene, Allegra Goodwin, Brad Lendon, Isaac Yee and Kristen Holmes contributed reporting.
US, Iran are looking for missing service member from downed fighter jet. Here's the latest
A US F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iran Friday, three US sources said, confirming Iranian state media reports. Another US military plane – an A-10 ground-attack jet – was struck by Iran on the same day.
US forces rescued one of the crew members of the downed F-15, according to sources familiar with the matter. Meanwhile, Iranian state media urged citizens to look for the missing crew member and promised rewards for handing them over.
Here’s what you should know:
- More on the F-15: US President Donald Trump told NBC News that the downing of the jet would not affect any negotiations with Iran, while declining to discuss the ongoing search and rescue mission. Tehran has claimed responsibility for shooting down the F-15 and an Iranian news anchor told viewers: “If you capture and hand over a pilot or pilots of the enemy alive… you will receive a valuable reward and prize.”
- More attacks: At least one person was killed in a missile attack in a residential area of northern Tehran, according to Iranian state-affiliated Mehr News. And the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that search and rescue teams were on the way to sites in central Israel where there were “reports of impact.”
- Strait of Hormuz: Next week, the UN Security Council is expected to vote on a Bahraini resolution to secure transit passage in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported, citing diplomats. The vote was initially set for Friday, then rescheduled for Saturday.
- Food prices: Global food prices rose 2.4% in March from February, driven largely by higher energy costs, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said.
CNN’s Lex Harvey, Kocha Olarn, Ibrahim Daman, Sana Noor Haq, Olesya Dmitracova, Mustafa Qadri, Maisie Linford, Sophie Tanno, Matthew Chance, Kevin Liptak, Jeremy Diamond, Haley Britzky, Alayna Treene, Allegra Goodwin, Elise Hammond, Isaac Yee, Leila Gharagozlou, Tal Shalev, Michael Rios, Brad Lendon and Kit Maher contributed reporting.
This deal between US and developing nations kickstarted Iran’s nuclear program
President Dwight Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” program was a deal between the US and developing nations, which unknowingly laid the foundations for one of the most controversial nuclear programs in the world. CNN’s Leila Gharagozlou reports.
President Dwight Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” program was a deal between the US and developing nations, which unknowingly laid the foundations for one of the most controversial nuclear programs in the world. CNN’s Leila Gharagozlou reports.
