LIVE | Crew member of US fighter jet that crashed in Iran is wanted by both sides
Tehran and Washington are disputing the rescue of a pilot after the alleged downing of a U.S. F-15, on a night marked by crossed accusations and search operations in the Gulf.
E‑2D Hawkeye aircraft
Forces from Tehran and Washington were vying early Saturday to rescue one of the crew members of the first U.S. fighter jet that Iran has managed to shoot down since the war began.
The Iranian regime claimed to have shot down an F-15, while U.S. media reported that special operations units had managed to recover one of the two occupants, while the other was still missing.
The Iranian Army also claimed to have shot down an A-10 attack aircraft in the Gulf, while the U.S. press reported that its pilot had been rescued.
U.S. Central Command (Centcom) did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment on the possible loss of the F-15, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, indicated that the president Donald Trump "was briefed."
The president noted to NBC that what happened with the F-15 will have no impact on talks with Iran. "No, not at all. No, it's war," he said.
The times correspond to Eastern Standard Time.
Iran executes two members of MEK opposition group
Iran executed on Saturday two men accused of belonging to an opposition group banned by the regime and of allegedly carrying out actions aimed at destabilizing and overthrowing the government, the judiciary said.
These executions come on top of other recent ones carried out against members of the People's Mujahideen of Iran (MEK) movement, after four of its members were executed earlier in the week.
"Abolhasan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian (...) were hanged after a trial and their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court," the Mizan Online website, an organ of the judiciary, reported on Saturday.
The MEK, which initially supported the 1979 Islamic revolution before breaking with the regime in the 1980s, has since been in exile and is considered a terrorist organization by Tehran.
Turkey claims second Turkish-owned ship has crossed the Strait of Hormuz
A second Turkish-flagged ship has crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, Turkey's Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said Saturday.
Uraloglu noted that there were 15 ships belonging to Turkish shippers waiting to cross the strategic strait on Feb. 28. "Two of those 15 made the crossing," he told the private CNN Türk channel. "This is explained by our demarches and also by the fact that they were using Iranian ports or carrying goods coming from Iran or destined for Iran."
U.S. and Israeli bombing strikes Iranian petrochemical facility
Attacks launched by the United States and Israel impacted a petrochemical complex in southwestern Iran on Saturday, local media reported.
"There were explosions in the Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone," Fars news agency said, citing the deputy governor of Juzestan province.
Fars added that the "Israeli-American attack in Mahshahr" affected three companies in the area. For its part, the Tasnim agency indicated that, for now, the extent of the damage is unknown.
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