Islamic Republic offers reward for capture of downed US pilot in Iran

Iran said on Friday that a US F-15E fighter jet was shot down over its territory, while Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the incident, that a US fighter jet was downed and a search and rescue effort was underway to locate the crew.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported that the aircraft was brought down, adding that the pilot’s fate was unknown.

Iranian media also said helicopters and a C-130 aircraft were seen in the area, suggesting a possible search-and-rescue operation, but this could not be confirmed.

There has been no immediate comment from the United States Air Force, and earlier US reports have denied similar claims.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel would continue striking Iran in coordination with the United States.

“In full coordination between me and President Donald Trump … we will continue to strike Iran,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.

He said Israeli forces were “eliminating commanders, bombing bridges and striking infrastructure,” adding that the campaign had hit Iran’s military and industrial capabilities.

Netanyahu also said Israel’s air force had destroyed 70% of Iran’s steel production capacity, calling it a “tremendous achievement” against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for a negotiated end to the war in an article published on Friday in Foreign Affairs, outlining a potential deal between Iran and the United States.

He later promoted the proposal on X, writing: “As an Iranian, outraged by Donald Trump’s reckless aggression … yet proud of our armed forces … I am convinced that war must end on terms consistent with Iran’s national interests.”

In the article, Zarif said Tehran should “use its upper hand not to keep fighting but to declare victory and make a deal,” warning that continued conflict would lead to “further destruction of civilian lives and infrastructure.”

He proposed that Iran could “offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions,” and called for “a comprehensive peace deal” rather than a ceasefire.

Zarif also suggested a “mutual nonaggression pact” with the United States, saying the aim should be to “end 47 years of belligerence” between the two countries.

The United States expelled Iran’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations last year over national security concerns, Axios reported.

The report said the State Department asked diplomat Saadat Aghajani to leave in December under a quiet internal procedure often used in sensitive cases.

It said at least two other Iranian diplomats in New York were also expelled in recent months.

The State Department confirmed it had taken action regarding Iranian personnel but did not provide details, while Iran’s UN mission declined to comment.

A planned vote by the United Nations Security Council on a resolution on the Strait of Hormuz has been removed from the body’s schedule.

The vote, proposed by Bahrain, had been listed for Friday but no longer appears on the UN’s daily agenda.

No reason was given for the change and no new date has been announced.