Trump details daring 155-aircraft rescue of downed bloodied airman while vowing to jail 'leaker'

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, US POLITICAL REPORTER and NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT 18:40 06 Apr 2026, updated 20:36 15 Apr 2026

Donald Trump revealed extraordinary new details about the daring rescue mission to extract a wounded US airman who spent almost 48 hours stranded in Iran. 

The President on Monday described an all-hands-on-deck operation that employed 155 aircraft - including 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft and three helicopters.

Trump lauded 'a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality and force' as US forces swooped into mountainous terrain in southern Iran to rescue the weapons systems officer (WSO) whose F-15E fighter jet went down on Good Friday. 

'He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, contacted his platoon, treated his own wounds and contacted American forces,' Trump said of the still unidentified officer, who was rescued on Easter Sunday.

Trump admitted that there were military officers who were opposed to the operation which he said risked hundreds of lives. 'God was watching us,' the President said.

The pilot was rescued the day of the crash after both airmen ejected over enemy territory, but the WSO had remained missing.

The President noted how the weapons officer was able to activate a 'beeper' that showed US forces where to search for him, leading to the airman's rescue and likely saving the soldier's life. 'It was like finding a needle in a haystack,' Trump said. 

Trump also lashed out at the media for reporting that the second airman was still missing, accusing outlets of alerting the Iranians to a target. He warned that 'the person who reported the story will go to jail' if they refuse to reveal their source. 

It was unclear which reporter Trump was referring to and speculation ran rampant online Monday afternoon.  

Trump revealed that US forces blew up their own planes before leaving because they had become bogged down in the makeshift runway at the extraction point. 

Iran's military said two US C-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed during the operation.

'We blew them up to smithereens,' Trump claimed.

'It was sandy, wet sand, so we thought there may be a problem taking off because of the weight of the plane,' he continued. 'And then we also had all the men jumping back onto the planes, and they got pretty well bogged down.'

The President said US forces used a 'farm not a runway' to land and execute the search and rescue operation.

Trump said the US military had a 'contingency plan' for exactly that scenario, 'which was pretty unbelievable. Where lighter, faster aircraft came in and they took them out.'

He said the old planes were destroyed 'because we had equipment on the planes' they the US didn't want in enemy hands.

'We didn't want anybody examining our anti-aircraft equipment and other equipment. So these were large planes that were old, pretty old, and we blew them up,' Trump divulged.

The downed airman first made contact by radioing in 'God is good,' Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recounted, adding 'we leave no man behind.' 

The plane's callsign was 'Dude 44,' said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine, with scores of aircraft scrambled within hours. 

Caine praised the swift recovery of the pilot on Friday and the planning that went into rescuing the WSO. 

The general said a special operations force fought their way in to extract the downed WSO in the early hours of Sunday, pressing on into daylight.

'We will always bring overwhelming skill and firepower,' the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs added.

When Trump was asked how many servicemembers were involved in the mission, Caine interjected: 'I'd love to keep that a secret.'

'OK, well ... but I will tell you the number. I'll keep it a secret. But it was hundreds and hundreds of these people,' the President responded.

Later at the briefing, Trump threatened to unleash hell on Iran if it fails to strike a deal, warning the country faces further destruction. 

'The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,' the President said, adding fuel to his previous threat that he'd target Iran's infrastructure.

When asked whether the war was wrapping up or escalating - scenarios that Trump has both teased - the President gave a clarifying answer.

'I don't know. I can't tell. It depends what they do,' Trump said. 

The President was later asked whether Iran simply had to make a deal to meet his deadline - or open the Strait or Hormuz - or both.

'We have to have a deal that is acceptable to me,' he said. 'And part of that deal is going to be, we want free traffic of oil and everything.'