New details have emerged about the rescue operation of the American pilot inside Iranian territory, showing that although the mission ultimately succeeded, it was not carried out without losses. However, Tehran and Washington have offered sharply conflicting accounts regarding the scale and nature of those losses.

On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the second crew member of the F-15 fighter jet shot down by Iran had been rescued, praising the mission as the result of two days of intense search-and-rescue efforts.

Iran, however, claimed the operation was only partially successful and said it had destroyed several U.S. aircraft involved in the mission.

Iran’s account: Helicopters and transport aircraft destroyed

A spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Iranian forces had foiled the attempt to rescue the downed pilot, and destroyed two Black Hawk helicopters and two C-130 military transport aircraft in southern Isfahan.

The Iranian official described Trump’s remarks as “psychological warfare”, insisting that the battlefield reality reflects the superiority of Iran’s armed forces. He also claimed that U.S. forces had used an abandoned airfield in southern Isfahan during the rescue mission.

American account: Aircraft destroyed to prevent capture

In contrast, The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reported that two MC-130J special operations aircraft became inoperable during the mission and were subsequently destroyed by U.S. forces themselves.

Similarly, The New York Times reported that the two transport aircraft were deliberately blown up at a temporary base to prevent sensitive military technology from falling into Iranian hands before U.S. special forces withdrew from the area.

A complex mission with uncertain losses

Reports suggest that although the rescue mission achieved its main objective, it did not come without operational setbacks. Some accounts indicate that Black Hawk helicopters came under Iranian fire, while others reported that a U.S. A-10 warplane was hit and later crashed in Kuwait.

How it began: The downing of the F-15

The operation traces back to Friday, when Iran announced it had shot down a U.S. F-15 fighter jet. Washington managed to rescue the first pilot on the same day, while the fate of the second crew member remained unclear until his rescue was announced on Sunday.

A parallel war of narratives

The conflicting statements reflect a parallel information war running alongside the military confrontation, with both Washington and Tehran attempting to minimize their own losses and magnify those of the other side. In the absence of fully independent verification, the exact scale of the losses on the ground remains uncertain.