More than 150 planes, diversion… Donald Trump gives details on the rescue of American fighter pilots in Iran

In the midst of confusion over American war objectives in Iran, while American opposition to the conflict is confirmed in all polls, clarifications were expected from Donald Trump. The American president spoke this Monday at a press conference at the White House, at 1 p.m. (7 p.m. in Paris), speaking mainly on the rescue of American airmen whose plane was hit by Iranian defenses last Friday.

Pilot rescue

Donald Trump first returned to the rescue operation of an American airman in Iran, whose plane had been shot down. “It’s a rescue that will go down in the history books,” he boasted. “Two crew members ejected from the aircraft and survived,” he recalled. The pilot was rescued on Friday in the hours following the crash. To rescue the co-pilot, the American army, on the other hand, had to use major means.

Donald Trump returned to the work of the rescue teams to save him. “The pilots took enormous risks to rescue their brothers in arms. They managed to locate the co-pilot of the F-15 and then exfiltrate him from the territory. No one was injured,” he said.

More than 150 planes mobilized

200 men and 21 planes “which flew at very low altitude, during the day, for seven hours, facing heavy enemy fire”, were mobilized. In total, “more than 150 aircraft of all types” were deployed according to him, “including sixty-four fighter-bombers, forty-eight tanker aircraft, thirteen rescue aircraft”. No one was injured, according to him, during this operation which lasted several hours.

The co-pilot “severely injured”

Regarding the rescued co-pilot: “It’s incredible what he did. He climbed a mountain to hide, while he was bleeding profusely.” The aviator was, according to the president, “severely injured” and “under threat from the Revolutionary Guards.” “As a subterfuge we wanted the Iranians to think he was somewhere else. They were scattered everywhere,” he detailed.

General Dan Caine then praised the soldier’s “combativeness”. “His will to survive, his will to escape the threat, his will to recover, all of that is essential. In this case, his absolute commitment to survival made our efforts largely possible,” explained the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Destruction of two planes

Two of the planes supposed to bring the aviator and his rescuers to safety remained stuck on an isolated base in Iran, stuck in the sand, and had to be destroyed to remove them from Iranian forces, the American press revealed. “They were old aircraft, we blew them up,” Donald Trump confirmed to journalists.

“God was with us”

“God was with us. It was Easter. I think God helped us,” added the American president, who multiplies references to religion, particularly in the context of the war in Iran.

“God is good,” then added Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth. He notably recalled that the co-pilot disappeared on Good Friday, and was rescued on Easter Sunday.

“When he was finally able to activate his emergency beacon, his first message was simple and poignant. He said: God is good. In this moment of isolation and danger, his faith and courage shone through,” detailed Hegseth.

The press under threat

Finally, the Republican billionaire denounced information leaks after American media revealed last week that two pilots had ejected from their plane. “Something leaked. A mole warned Iran. We will find who did this, and send him to prison if he does not say who his source is,” he assured.

A new threat against the press, while the American administration has been very virulent towards certain media since the re-election of Donald Trump, regularly restricting access to the White House to journalists.

Iran “eliminated” Tuesday evening

While detailing the relief operation, Donald Trump also claimed that Iran could be “eliminated” in a single night, specifying that the night in question “could” be Tuesday evening. The conservative leader set an ultimatum for Tuesday evening before bombing energy infrastructure in Iran.

Disinformation operation

John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, also spoke at Donald Trump’s press conference. The latter compared the search to find the American aviator in Iran to that of finding “a grain of sand in the desert”, explaining that the CIA had “led a diversionary campaign” to sow confusion in Iran.

“In addition to the human and technical resources mobilized by the president to find our aviators, the CIA carried out a diversion operation aimed at sowing trouble among the Iranians who were relentlessly tracking them,” he declared. According to him, “the Iranians (have been) humiliated” by the rescue of the aviator.

“In the army, people said it was not wise. But I said: Let’s go! », Finally concluded Donald Trump. By justifying himself: “I thought it was worth it.”