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Middle East crisis live: US launches rescue mission as official says Iran has shot down fighter jet | US-Israel war on Iran
Iran shot down a US fighter jet
A search is under way for the crew of a US fighter jet that was shot down by Iran, a person familiar with the matter has confirmed.
As we reported earlier, Iran claimed that it had shot down a US fighter jet, with state media reporting it was an F-35 warplane.
The fate of the crew remains unclear.
It follows reports by Iranian state media that the US military is searching for an American pilot of a downed aircraft in Iran, following earlier reports that Tehran had shot down a US F-35 fighter jet.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency claimed that the US military is searching for a pilot “of a fighter jet that was attacked by the Iranian armed forces this morning”. In an earlier report, it published photos purporting to show the wreckage of a downed US aircraft, although it appears to be an F-15E Strike Eagle based out of RAF Lakenheath.
Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia, told NBC News: “I think the structure looks like an F-15 and from the tail flash stripe markings from the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.”
US officials have not publicly commented on the claims.
The Associated Press news agency reported that a channel affiliated with Iranian state television broadcast news of the pilot. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, a rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 sq km (5,900 sq miles).
Key events
Reuters news agency has also reported that a search is under way for the crew of a US fighter jet shot down over Iran, citing US officials.
We will bring you more updates as we get it.
Iran shot down a US fighter jet
A search is under way for the crew of a US fighter jet that was shot down by Iran, a person familiar with the matter has confirmed.
As we reported earlier, Iran claimed that it had shot down a US fighter jet, with state media reporting it was an F-35 warplane.
The fate of the crew remains unclear.
It follows reports by Iranian state media that the US military is searching for an American pilot of a downed aircraft in Iran, following earlier reports that Tehran had shot down a US F-35 fighter jet.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency claimed that the US military is searching for a pilot “of a fighter jet that was attacked by the Iranian armed forces this morning”. In an earlier report, it published photos purporting to show the wreckage of a downed US aircraft, although it appears to be an F-15E Strike Eagle based out of RAF Lakenheath.
Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia, told NBC News: “I think the structure looks like an F-15 and from the tail flash stripe markings from the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom.”
US officials have not publicly commented on the claims.
The Associated Press news agency reported that a channel affiliated with Iranian state television broadcast news of the pilot. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, a rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 sq km (5,900 sq miles).
In today’s episode of Today in Focus, the Guardian’s editor for rights and freedom, Tess McClure, reports on the US bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in southern Iran, and the families who lost loved ones in the attack.
“The impact of dropping a 2,000-plus pound bomb on a primary school full of children mostly seven to 12 years old and their teachers is just unimaginable,” Tess tells Nosheen Iqbal of the strike on the school in Minab on 28 February.
“The loss of 130-plus girls and about 30 teachers is just an incredible loss for those families. And I think what comes through as well when you listen to their voices, listen to them describing their children, is this incredible ordinariness of family life up until that moment that just has transformed all of their lives forever.”
Tess describes how 28 February unfolded for two of the families that suffered in the bombing, based on her reporting. She also explains the evidence that points to the United States being responsible for the tragedy.
You can listen to the episode here:
Analysis: is the US committing war crimes?
Peter Beaumont
Donald Trump, other senior US officials and their cheerleaders appear to be embracing attacks – and threats of attacks – on Iranian civilian infrastructure, which legal experts say appears to constitute serious war crimes under international law.
In his rambling national address on Wednesday, the US president warned that if Iran did not reach an unspecified deal with him, US forces would “hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants” and “bring [Iran] back to the stone ages – where they belong”.
Following through on that threat a day later, Trump posted images of a strike on an the unfinished B1 bridge near Tehran, warning: “Much more to follow!”
Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns said: “Intentionally attacking civilian infrastructure such as power plants is generally prohibited.
“Even in the limited cases that they qualify as military targets, a party still cannot attack power plants if this may cause disproportionate harm to civilians.
“Given that such power plants are essential for meeting the basic needs and livelihoods of tens of millions of civilians, attacking them would be disproportionate and thus unlawful under international humanitarian law, and could amount to a war crime.”
Read on here:
Trump claims US could ‘easily’ open up strait of Hormuz but needs ‘more time’
Donald Trump has been posting on his social media platform, Truth Social.
On Iran, he has written:
With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD??? President DONALD J. TRUMP
As we mentioned earlier, Iran said earlier today that it had shot down an US fighter jet.
The Associated Press is now reporting that an affiliate of Iran state TV claims the fighter pilot ejected from an aircraft in southwest Iran.
AP said the US did not respond immediately to requests for comment over the claim.
We’ll bring you more on this when we get it…
Joanna Partridge
The world has become well versed in the importance of the strait of Hormuz to the world’s energy flows, but attention is increasingly turning to its vital role in another market – the fertiliser on which harvests depend.
A third of the global trade in raw materials for fertiliser passes through the maritime choke point, which is also the route for 20% of shipments of natural gas, which is required to make it.
The waterway’s near-total shipping blockade is a “food security timebomb”, the head of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband, said this week, adding: “The window to avert a massive global hunger crisis is rapidly closing.”
“Fertilisers are the No 1 issue of concern today,” according to the World Trade Organization, while the UN World Food Programme says the total number of people facing acute levels of hunger could hit record numbers this year if the destabilising conflict continues.
So how worried should we be? You can read our visual guide to the crisis here:
Half of Iran’s missile launchers still intact – report
US intelligence has assessed that roughly half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers are still intact despite over a month of US and Israeli strikes against military targets in the country, CNN has reported, citing three sources familiar with the intelligence.
Some of the launchers may not be accessible at present, such as those buried underground by strikes but not destroyed, according to the report. Still, Iran is “very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region”, one source said.
US intelligence assessments have also indicated that Iran still has thousands of one-way attack drones in its arsenal and “a large percentage” of its coastal defence cruise missiles, which play a key role in Tehran’s threats to shipping in the strait of Hormuz.
The findings are at odds with Donald Trump’s claims earlier this week that Iran’s ability to launch missile and drone attacks have been “dramatically curtailed” and that the war was “nearing completion”.
The White House and the Pentagon denied the report.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has denied responsibility for the attack on a Kuwaiti power and water desalination plant, blaming it instead on Israel.
In a statement carried by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC’s public relations department said:
The Zionist regime’s unconventional and illegitimate attack on Kuwait’s desalination plants is a sign of the vileness and baseness of the Zionist occupiers, and the Revolutionary Guards condemn this inhumane act and declare that American bases and military personnel in the region and the Zionist regime’s military and security centres in the occupied Palestinian territories are our powerful targets.
In a statement earlier today, the Kuwait ministry of electricity, water and renewable energy said an Iranian attack had damaged the plant.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has condemned the “reckless” Iranian attack that set an oil refinery ablaze in Kuwait, in a call with the country’s crown prince.
A Downing Street readout of the conversation said:
The prime minister spoke to his highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah this morning.
The prime minister began by condemning the reckless overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery.
He reiterated that the UK stands with Kuwait and all our allies in the Gulf.
They discussed the deployment of the UK’s rapid sentry air defence system to Kuwait, which will protect Kuwaiti and British personnel and interests in the region, while avoiding escalation into wider conflict.
Regarding ongoing disruption to global shipping through the strait of Hormuz, the prime minister and crown prince welcomed the meeting convened by the foreign secretary yesterday on a viable plan to reopen the Strait.
They agreed to continue to work together on this and stay in close contact over the coming weeks.
Summary of attacks in the Middle East as war nears 6th week
Several Gulf nations came under missile and drone attacks throughout the night and this morning as the US-Israeli war on Iran entered its 35th day.
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
Kuwait
The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery was struck by Iranian drones, sparking fires at the facility. The oil refinery has been hit multiple times during the war.
Kuwait also said that an Iranian attack caused “material damage” to a power and water desalination plant. Such plants are responsible for most of the drinking water for Gulf states.
Bahrain
Bahrain’s interior ministry said that sirens sounded three times overnight. It urged people to head to the nearest safest location, without providing further details. Sirens are normally activated when potential threats or attacks are detected.
UAE
Authorities in Abu Dhabi reported two incidents of debris falling from intercepted aerial threats in the UAE capital.
The official Abu Dhabi Media Office said authorities responded to an incident of falling debris at the Habshan gas facilities. “Operations have been suspended while authorities respond to a fire,” it said in a post on X, adding that no injuries were reported.
A separate incident of falling debris was reported in the Ajban area “following successful interception by air defence systems”, the media office said, without providing further details.
Saudi Arabia
The Saudi defence ministry announced on X that it intercepted and destroyed more than a dozen drones overnight and this morning, without providing further details.
Elsewhere:
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it detected a ballistic attack from Iran targeting northern Israel earlier today. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said one person was injured in a missile attack in Kiryat Ata, near Haifa.
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The IDF has killed 15 members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group following an attack on southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee. Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the claim.
UK to deploy air defence system to Kuwait
The UK will deploy its Rapid Sentry air defence system to Kuwait to help protect British and Kuwaiti interests in the Gulf, Keir Starmer’s office said.
The UK prime minister discussed the deployment in a call with Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, this morning, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“The prime minister began by condemning the reckless overnight drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil refinery,” the spokesperson said. “He reiterated that the UK stands with Kuwait and all our allies in the Gulf.”
The Rapid Sentry is a ground-based short-range air defence system aimed at countering drone threats.
All Easter masses in Dubai have been cancelled because of the Middle East war, AFP news agency reported.
In a statement on its website, the St Francis of Assisi Church at Jebel Ali in Dubai said “all Masses at our Church are cancelled until further notice” as per government directives. The Jebel Ali coastal area has been hit several times by missiles and drones fired by Iran, after its port was designated a “legitimate target” due to alleged US military presence.
St Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai published a similar announcement on its website, and said Good Friday’s mass would be livestreamed online instead.
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Human remains have been found onboard the Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait of Hormuz in March.
Thailand’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement a specialised search and rescue team had boarded the vessel, Mayuree Naree, for a second time and carried out a detailed inspection of accessible areas. The vessel has sustained damage from fire and was flooded in the engine room and nearby areas, it said.
“The team found human remains in the damaged area on board, but has not been able to verify or identify those remains,” the ministry said, adding that the owner of the vessel, Precious Shipping PLC, had informed the families of the crew members of the development.
“The ministry is saddened by this development and will coordinate closely with the relevant Thai embassies, the Iranian side and related agencies in order to receive the results of any forensic identification conducted at the earliest possible opportunity. The ministry will provide further updates in due course,” it said in a statement.
Reuters news agency reported a container ship belonging to French shipping group CMA CGM has passed through the strait of Hormuz, according to the French television network BFM TV.
It was not immediately clear how the vessel secured safe passage through the strait, which has been effectively closed since the beginning of the Middle East war on 28 February.
Reuters said CMA CGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment while France’s foreign ministry declined.
Here are some of the latest images on the newswires from across the Middle East:
Daniel Boffey
‘Every night they are bombarding’: at border crossing, some Iranians are fleeing war and some are heading home
He could not help but splutter out a laugh at the question. Amir, whose name has been changed for his safety, had just crossed the Kapıköy border point in eastern Turkey, a mountain pass between snow-topped peaks that is one of the few gateways to the west from Iran.
Until a few weeks ago, this was a busy place, popular among Iranian daytrippers coming across to Turkey to do some shopping in the lively city of Van, a further two hours drive west, or to spend a couple of nights out in its discreet Iranian-only nightclubs and bars serving alcohol.
Back then, there had been plenty of reasons that an Iranian might give for making this trip. But today, just about visible behind Amir, was the lifeless black flag raised a month ago by the Iranian regime after the death under US and Israeli strikes of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
“Why? Amir asked back with a smile when questioned as to his motivation for leaving Iran. “Boom,” he responded. “Because of the war. Every night they are bombarding.”
Not that Amir, who had come from Tehran, was bitter about the American and Israeli campaign. “We must want to get rid of the regime,” he said. “Thank you to Trump,” he added with a weary nod of the head.
You can read the full report here:
A 16-year-old boy will appear in court on Saturday charged with murdering Eghosa Ogbebor.
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Key events
Just wondering how much Danny Dyer we will see this Friday night. Sunday versus Leeds bordered on the overkill.
Peter Oh gets in touch: “99.93%? To paraphrase the Jim Carrey character in Dumb and Dumber, ‘so there’s a chance of survival!’. In all seriousness, I think Wolves are by far the most interesting and entertaining nearly-guaranteed-to-go-down Premier League side in memory. If you’re gonna go down, go down playing in style!”
West Ham, after this game, have Crystal Palace away, Everton at home, Brentford away, Arsenal at home, Newcastle away and, this looks a six-pointer, Leeds at home. So yes, this is massive.
Wolves have circled the drain all season, and have just 17 points. Relegation is all but certain, it’s just a question of warding off the inevitable. They are 11 points from safety with seven games left. Opta data suggests Wolves have a 99.93% chance of going down, as close to certainty as is possible. They can get a maximum of 38 points when Tottenham, in 17th, have 30. West Ham have 29; their need is far greater, their hopes far more realistic.
Last time out for both teams:
The big news from the Hammers camp is the return of Crysensio Summerville, who was bang in form before his injury. Mads Hermansen, Pablo, Tomas Soucek, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Summerville come in as Alphonse Areola is dropped to the bench. Finlay Herrick, we hardly knew ya.
Wolves last played 25 days ago, drawing 2-2 at Brentford and playing very well once Angel Gomes came on for Mateus Mane, who looks likely to be used as an impact sub.
The teams
West Ham: Hermansen; Walker-Peters, Disasi, Mavropanos, Diouf; Bowen, Soucek, Fernandes, Summerville; Pablo, Taty. Subs: Areola, Wilson, Adama, Todibo, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Scarles, Potts, Kante
Wolves: Sa; Mosquera, S.Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, Andre, J.Gomes, A.Gomes. H.Bueno; Bellegarde, Armstrong. Subs: Bentley, Wolfe, Hwang, Arokodare, Lima, R.Gomes, Toti, Mane, Edozie
Nuno Espírito Santo has rolled back the years in an attempt to save West Ham. He has gone old-school, switching to a gung-ho 4-4-2 system to give his side more threat in the final third. Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, both January arrivals, have altered the face of the attack, but neither forward has been prolific. Castellanos has scored three goals in all competitions since joining from Lazio and Pablo, who is yet to open his account in English football, failed to convert during last week’s penalty shootout defeat by Leeds in the FA Cup. As a pair, though, Castellanos and Pablo have been oddly effective. Are they any good? Unclear. Do they run around a lot and give a previously ponderous West Ham more energy? Undoubtedly. Played together, Pablo and Castellanos do a worthy job for the team. Importantly, they create space for the wingers, Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, who hopes to return from a calf injury for Friday night’s vital home game against Wolves. Bowen and Summerville are the big threats; they are West Ham’s main source of goals, but both are more dangerous with Pablo and Castellanos in the team. Jacob Steinberg
Preamble
West Ham are massive, everywhere they go, and this is massive for the Hammers. It’s been a long wait to get back to Premier League business, and it’s unfinished business. They have to win against their manager’s old club or else it’s a weekend looking through the fingers at how Tottenham, Leeds and Nottingham Forest get on. Wolves, with little to lose, are a dangerous opponent. Let’s say this again: this is massive.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST. Join me.
Prince Harry left the charity last year in an acrimonious dispute over how Sentebale was being managed.
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