In a statement, Trump says the US military had successfully retrieved a senior officer, a colonel, who had been stranded behind enemy lines in mountainous Iranian territory after his aircraft went down

US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the rescue of a missing American pilot, describing it as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history”, amid escalating tensions with Iran.

In a statement, Trump said the US military had successfully retrieved a senior officer, a colonel, who had been stranded behind enemy lines in mountainous Iranian territory after his aircraft went down. He said the officer, though injured, was now “safe and sound”.

According to the President, the operation involved multiple aircraft and was carried out under constant surveillance and planning by top US military leadership. He claimed the mission was executed without any American casualties.

The rescue comes against the backdrop of heightened hostilities after Iran reportedly shot down two US military aircraft on Friday — an F-15E Strike Eagle and an A-10 Thunderbolt II.

The missing officer was believed to be part of the crew of the downed F-15 fighter jet.

Trump also revealed that another American pilot had been rescued in a separate operation a day earlier, though the development was kept under wraps to avoid jeopardising the second mission. He termed the twin rescues unprecedented, claiming it was the first time two US pilots had been recovered from deep inside hostile territory in separate missions.

Emphasising US military strength, Trump said the operations demonstrated “overwhelming air dominance” over Iranian skies and reiterated that the United States would “never leave an American warfighter behind”.

There was no immediate response from Iranian authorities on the claims.