Iranian media claimed Friday that a US fighter pilot had ejected over the country’s southwestern part, seeking the help of the Iranians in the area to help hunt them down.
No official confirmation regarding the incident has been given by the US Central Command, the Pentagon, or the White House.
The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to the police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometres. An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be US aircraft in the area.
A major explosion from an airstrike struck Iran's capital, Tehran, around the same time on 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 destabilising economies around the world as Iran responds to the US 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.
US President Donald Trump said US forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks.