Iran Says Two U.S. Black Hawk Helicopters Were Downed During Rescue Mission

Iran said Sunday that two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were downed during a mission to rescue a stranded American airman.

Iran said Sunday that two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters and other American aircraft were hit during a high-risk mission to rescue a stranded U.S. airman inside Iranian territory.

Tasnim news agency close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the aircraft were brought down during clashes with U.S. special forces sent to recover the crew member from a downed fighter jet.

A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters described the incident as a “humiliating defeat” for the United States and compared it to the failed 1980 U.S. rescue mission in Tabas.

Iranian outlets also circulated footage they said showed the wreckage of two U.S. helicopters, while Mizan news agency had earlier reported the downing of a large U.S. military transport aircraft in southern Isfahan.

The claims came after Washington confirmed the successful rescue of the missing U.S. airman, who had been stranded after an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran on Friday. President Donald Trump said the officer had been safely recovered.

Reuters reported that the rescue mission faced heavy Iranian resistance and involved dozens of military aircraft. U.S. officials said at least one aircraft had to be destroyed by American forces after malfunctioning, while Reuters also reported that two Black Hawk helicopters were hit by Iranian fire but escaped Iranian airspace.

Iranian military officials have separately claimed that two U.S. C-130 transport aircraft and two Black Hawks were destroyed during the operation, though those claims have not been independently verified.

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