Finding a person in a mountain ravine on enemy territory is an almost impossible task. But the weapons systems officer (WSO) of an F-15E Strike Eagle, shot down over Iran on Friday, April 3, spent more than a day there — and survived. A key role in his rescue was played not only by a special operation, but also by a lie the CIA seeded into Iranian information channels before U.S. forces even knew where he was.

How it worked

According to Axios, citing three U.S. officials, the CIA launched a disinformation campaign inside Iran: operatives spread information that U.S. forces had already found the officer and were evacuating him overland from the country. While Iranian forces responded to that fake, the agency employed its technical assets — and pinpointed the officer's exact location.

"It was a true needle-in-a-haystack search — but in this case the needle was a brave American soul in a mountain ravine, invisible without the CIA's capabilities."

Senior U.S. administration official, quoted by Axios

After the CIA provided the precise coordinates to the Pentagon and the White House, Trump ordered a rescue operation. According to The War Zone, elite special operations forces and aviation assets from multiple services were involved.

What preceded it — and what went wrong

An F-15E Strike Eagle from the U.S. Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing was shot down by Iranian forces — the first time in more than 20 years that an American combat aircraft sustained such a strike in action, retired Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell told AP.

The first crew member — the pilot — was rescued within a few hours after the shootdown. During that initial operation Iranian forces struck an American Black Hawk helicopter: Axios reports that several crew members were wounded, but the aircraft remained airborne. Two CSAR HH-60 Jolly Green II helicopters also sustained damage from enemy fire.

Separately, that same day, the Iranians shot down an A-10 Thunderbolt ground-attack aircraft — the pilot ejected and was rescued. According to CBS News, since the start of the war against Iran, which began on February 28, the U.S. has lost at least four aircraft, although three of them fell victim to friendly fire — Kuwaiti air defenses.

Details Trump did not comment on

The president called the operation "one of the boldest rescue missions in U.S. history" and emphasized that no American was killed. Behind the scenes, however, the picture is more complicated: several wounded, two damaged helicopters, and the fact that Iranian forces managed to shoot down the F-15E despite earlier statements by Hegseth and Trump about a "100% destroyed" Iranian air defense and the U.S.'s "unassailable" air superiority.

• WSO — a colonel, Trump confirmed on Truth Social; was wounded but is out of danger.
• CIA disinformation was in effect even before the target was localized — in other words, the agency "bought time" without having coordinates.
• Diplomatic talks have reached an impasse: two sources familiar with indirect negotiations told Axios there has been minimal progress.

What's next

On Saturday Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Tehran: open the Strait of Hormuz or face "hell." Iranian military officials officially rejected the demand. If Washington does not back up the ultimatum with concrete strikes on infrastructure — and not just rhetoric — it will become another example of how red lines in this war are erased immediately after being declared.