Trump on the Search for American Soldier in Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed to Axios that the message received from the crew member of an F-15 fighter jet downed in Iran was initially perceived in Washington as a potential threat. He stated that the American side was concerned that Iranian forces could utilize false signals to target the rescue team.

According to Trump, the injured soldier managed to survive for more than 24 hours in a mountainous area, hiding in a rock crevice. During that time, both Iranian forces and local residents searched for him. Simultaneously, the U.S. military had 'signal intelligence' about the soldier's location, and he managed to send a brief message.

Trump noted that about 200 special operations personnel were involved in the rescue operation. He also mentioned that the pilot was successfully extracted relatively quickly, during daylight hours and under heavy fire from Iranian forces.