The urgent search for a missing American airman escalated on Saturday night as U.S. special forces scrambled to locate the crew member before armed Iranian nomads could reach him.
Iranian authorities have reportedly offered a reward of £50,000 for the capture of the weapons systems officer who ejected from his F-15E Strike Eagle on Friday, just moments before the aircraft was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.
The pilot of the downed jet was successfully rescued within 45 minutes after the plane crashed in the challenging mountainous region of southern Iran.
However, there is growing concern among U.S. officials that the missing airman could become a pawn in diplomatic negotiations.
A source with ties to former President Donald Trump disclosed to The Mail on Sunday, “Every resource is being deployed to locate the missing airman.”
“Special forces are on the ground, and the full strength of the U.S. military is being utilized in this search effort,” the source added.
‘The fear is he will be captured and used as a pawn. We need to find him before the Iranians and bring him home.’
The source added that Mr Trump is being ‘briefed around the clock’ about the search-and-rescue mission and said the President chose to remain at the White House this weekend instead of going to his home in Florida, ‘because he wants to be at the heart of things’.
Tehran placed a bounty of £50,000 on the head of the American weapons systems operator who ejected from his F-15E Strike Eagle on Friday before the jet was ‘obliterated’ by a missile. Pictured: Armed Iranian tribesmen search for the missing US airmanÂ
The pilot was rescued within 45 minutes of the plane going down over treacherous mountain terrain in southern Iran. Pictured: An ejector seat from the downed fighter planeÂ
US officials now fear the missing crewman could be used as a human bargaining chip. Pictured:Â Armed Iranian tribesmen search for the missing US airman
Iranian media has broadcast images of US aircraft searching for the missing airman while constantly repeating the reward for his capture, which has prompted rag-tag groups of goat herders and farmers to take up makeshift weapons and join the hunt.Â
Iranian leaders encouraged people to head to the area to capture the American but warned: ‘Do not mistreat him.’
Mr Trump last night warned Iran to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, saying: ‘Time is running out – 48 hours before all hell will reign (sic) down on them. Glory be to God!’
Israel has stopped attacks in the area where the jet was shot down and Israel Special Forces are said to be helping US Navy Seals and Army Green Berets on the ground.
The missing officer is trained in SERE (survival, evasion, resistance and escape) and may have been injured after ejecting.
Trained to survive for several days, he will hide during daylight and if he moves at all will do so at night.Â
Marina Miron, from the defence studies department at King’s College London, said ‘he will be trying to blend with the terrain and survive until he is found’.
She added: ‘The problem here is, the better he hides, the more difficult it will be to locate him for those conducting the rescue.’
Laurel Rapp, of the US and North America programme at Chatham House, told the BBC that capturing the airman would be a ‘huge prize’ for Iran and offer them a ‘very powerful bargaining chip’.
A former military hostage negotiator last night raised the possibility Iran had already captured him, telling the BBC they may be using his location beacon to lure in US forces.Â
The downed jet is thought to have previously been based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, but sources suggest they were moved to Jordan when the war began.
Iran parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf trolled Mr Trump on X yesterday, saying: ‘After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from “regime change” to “Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please? Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses”.’
The hunt for the airman marks a pivotal point in the war, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28.Â
If captured, it raises the spectre of a repeat of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis when militant students took over the US embassy in Tehran and kept 52 Americans captive for 444 days.
The crisis defined Jimmy Carter’s last year as president and Mr Trump has repeatedly called the incident ‘weak and pathetic’.
Mr Trump has vowed the downed airman will not hamper talks to end the conflict – talks the Iranians deny are even taking place.
News of the reward has prompted rag-tag groups of goat herders and farmers to take up makeshift weapons and join the hunt. Pictured:Â Armed Iranian tribesmen search for the missing US airman
Iranian leaders encouraged people to head to the area to capture the American but warned: ‘Do not mistreat him’. Pictured: Wreckage of the downed plane posted online by Tehran, left, and the logo normally on the tail of this type of aircraft, right Â
The missing officer is trained in SERE (survival, evasion, resistance and escape) but may have been injured after ejecting. Pictured: File photo of members of the US Air Force on a training exerciseÂ
A US Black Hawk helicopter involved in the search for the missing crewman was hit by ground fire but landed safely. Pictured: Iranian police appearing to shoot at US rescue crewsÂ
Despite the President touting ‘swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield’, Iran has launched at least 50 ballistic missiles and more than 150 drones at US targets in the past 72 hours, including the missile which downed the F-15E fighter.
A US Black Hawk helicopter involved in the search was hit by ground fire but landed safely.Â
And an A-10 Warthog plane crashed in the Gulf but the pilot ejected over Kuwait and was rescued.
Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs while serving as an Army helicopter pilot during the war in Iraq, said: ‘As someone shot down behind enemy lines, my heart goes out to the crew members and their loved ones waiting for answers.’
Some 13 US service members have been killed in the war to date – seven by hostile fire and six in a plane crash.
Mr Trump ramped up his attacks against European allies this week for their refusal to show ‘courage’ in helping to open the Strait of Hormuz.Â
Nato’s Secretary General Mark Rutte will visit the White House next week.
