Iranian state media soon after shared images online of what appeared to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones.
TEHRAN PROVINCE, Iran — Iranian media claimed Friday that a US pilot or pilots had ejected over southwestern Iran, and urged Iranians in the area to help hunt them down. U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The television channel in Iran’s Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province initially urged viewers who see Americans to “shoot them as soon as you see them.” Then it changed the instructions, saying police want Iranians to hand over any downed American pilots alive to security agencies to “receive a precious prize.”
A major explosion from an airstrike struck Iran’s capital, Tehran, around the same time Friday afternoon. It wasn’t clear what had been hit. Earlier Friday, Iranian missiles set alight a refinery and damaged a desalination plant in Kuwait.
The war now entering its sixth week is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region’s energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks.
Iranian media show American aircraft over area where it said pilot ejected
Iranian state media soon after shared images online of what appeared to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones.
The public request for help suggests the Iranian military, police and security services maintain a small presence in the rural region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles).
The province is mainly home to Iran’s Lur people, many of whom are farmers. The extreme south of the province is the start of Iran’s oil fields in the area.
Iranian state TV affiliate claims US pilot ejected over southwestern Iran
U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon and White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The television channel in Iran’s Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province initially urged viewers who see Americans to “shoot them as soon as you see them.”
It then changed the instructions, based on a police statement, asking for the public to hand over any downed American pilots alive to security agencies to “receive a precious prize.” The anchor asked the public to cooperate with local authorities in the hunt.
This province is about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of Iran’s capital, Tehran. Its provincial capital is Yasuj. It is an intensely rural, mountainous area of Iran, home to around 600,000 people.
The Iranian channel showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement. Iranian state media then shared images online of what appeared to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones.
A major explosion from an airstrike struck Iran’s capital, Tehran, around the same time Friday afternoon. It wasn’t clear what had been hit.
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