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Iran says US rescue of F-15 airman a failed attempt to steal Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile

April 7, 2026

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated on 6 April that a US operation, which rescued a downed airman in southwest Iran, may have been part of a deception to steal enriched uranium.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump claimed the US recovered a second crew member of an F-15E warplane that Iran shot down on Friday.

Trump boasted about the operation, saying it was a “daring” search and rescue operation, despite the destruction of multiple US military aircraft, including two C-130 Transport planes and at least one MH-6 helicopter, in the process.

VIDEO | Wreckage of a US C-130 that reportedly attempted to rescue the missing fighter pilot in southern Iran.

The US says the plane got stuck and had to be demolished, while Iranian state media says that the aircraft was destroyed. pic.twitter.com/FQ9HuvFKkt

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) April 5, 2026

In contrast, Iran’s military called the operation “a deception and escape mission,” saying it “completely failed.”

On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, discussed the issue further, explaining there were “many questions and uncertainties” about the operation.

“The possibility that this was a deception operation to steal enriched uranium should not be ignored at all,” said Baghaei.

He stated that the area where the US airman pilot was found, in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, is a long way from the area where US forces attempted to land or wanted to land in central Iran.

🤔 The "pilot rescue" mission gets curiouser and curiouser.

Why was this 45-year-old Israeli woman (whose id was allegedly found at the airstrip crash site) riding along with a CSAR team into Iran to rescue a downed American pilot? https://t.co/x9bzudAD0P

— Will Schryver (@imetatronink) April 6, 2026

🚨 BIG UPDATE 🚨

IRGC found some identification documents from the site of the destroyed U.S. planes near Isfahan.

"KEY HIGHLIGHTS"

-ID belongs to Major Amanda M. Ryder who has been working on the F-35 in Maintenance Squadron and was stationed in the Middle East.
-Why would a… pic.twitter.com/WCcO8q2JVu

— gulvinder (@rebelliousdogra) April 6, 2026

BREAKING:

🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iranian spokesperson exposes that Trump's operation to steal enriched uranium was an absolute failure.

He says the US military suffered a disastrous scandal after facing fierce resistance from the Iranian people. pic.twitter.com/KBdQ5Duf7a

— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) April 6, 2026

🤣🇺🇸🇮🇷 They want you to believe the downed F-15E pilot somehow climbed through 110 miles of Iranian mountains in less than 24 hours… pic.twitter.com/VS47yKfwoH

— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) April 6, 2026

BREAKING: 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump details the FAKE “rescue mission”

— 155 aircraft
— 4 bombers
— 64 fighters
— 48 refueling tankers
— 13 “rescue” aircraft
— and more

Yeah, this was a failed operation to pretend they stole Iran’s uranium. pic.twitter.com/1D0KaVxg0k

— ADAM (@AdameMedia) April 6, 2026

The "downed pilot" story was a fabricated cover for a failed US special forces operation to seize Iran's primary stockpile of highly enriched uranium (roughly 60% purity, estimated at 440–970 pounds).

The main stockpile was located at Isfahan—the precise site where the pilot was… pic.twitter.com/NTBoh1P8cy

— WAR (@warsurv) April 6, 2026

Iran’s military said its troops had forced several US aircraft to “make emergency landings” in southern Isfahan Governorate after being hit during the mission. The US was then “forced to heavily bombard the downed aircraft” as a result, to avoid the aircraft and their technology from falling into Iranian hands.

According to one analyst, the clandestine US operation took place just 35 kilometers southeast of one of Iran’s main uranium storage sites.

“It is therefore only logical to speculate that the F-15E ‘rescue’ operation was a fake meant to smokescreen and conceal something more nefarious.”

One of Iran’s vice presidents, Esmail Saghab Esfahani, mentioned this possibility in a post on X after the alleged rescue.

دیشب آسمان زیبای اصفهان عزیزمان، فقط شاهد سقوط چند فروند هواگرد نبود!!
انگار یک سناریوی بزرگ فرو ریخته است!
عصبانیت و استیصال ترامپ، تایید نابودی یک نقشه بزرگ است.
فعلاً فقط می‌توان همينقدر گفت: شاید این عملیات هیچ‌وقت «نجات» نبوده است.
بقیه ماجرا در آینده رو می‌شود.
صبر کنید…

— اسماعیل سقاب اصفهانی (@saghabesfahani) April 5, 2026

The analyst concluded that President Trump already had US boots on the ground “deep inside” Iran in the area where Tehran stores its coveted uranium.

“There’s a very good chance Trump wanted to stage a surprise snatch-and-grab before announcing a major ‘victory’ to the world,” the analyst added.

Following the operation, Trump issued an angry statement, telling Iran to “Open the Fuckin’ Strait [of Hormuz], you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in hell.”

He also threatened to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges, which would mark a significant escalation in the war and prompt Iranian retaliation.

BREAKING: President Trump tells Iran “open the f***** Strait of Hormuz, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in hell.”

Trump declares Tuesday as “power plant and bridge day.” pic.twitter.com/OyGu44aleV

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) April 5, 2026

One week before the alleged rescue operation, BBC reported that Trump was considering a plan for US troops to storm a secretive, underground nuclear facility to seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

The BBC wrote that the idea may “sound far-fetched,” but it was an option Trump was reportedly considering.

Military experts and former US defense officials told BBC that such an operation would potentially require the deployment of ground troops inside Iran for up to several weeks.

Removing some or all of Iran’s uranium stockpile would be one of the “most complicated special operations in history,” said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for West Asia.

In a telephone interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Trump appeared to play down the significance of Iran’s uranium stockpile, which he claims Iran wants to use to develop a nuclear weapon.

“That’s so deeply buried it’s gonna be very hard for anybody,” Trump said. “It’s down there deep. So … it’s pretty safe. But, you know, we’ll make a determination.”