U.S. President Donald Trump holds a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 6, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci | Photo Credit: Evan Vucci
Trump threatened to jail the journalist who first reported that US forces were searching for an F-15 weapons officer shot down in Iran, if they don't reveal their sources.
“The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn't say, and that doesn't last long,” Trump said.
Trump didn't name the journalist or news organisation. He said the leak tipped off the Iranians, endangering the officer and his rescuers. He called the leaker “a sick person.”
The president described the scale of the operation undertaken by the US to rescue the second airman from the downed aircraft - which included 155 aircraft.
More specifically, it included four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft, among others, Trump said.
Much of it was an effort to throw off the Iranians, who were also looking for the missing crew member, the president said.
“We were bringing them all over and a lot of it was subterfuge,” Trump said. “We wanted to have them think he was in a different location.”
Trump says the downed weapons officer followed his training to get as far away from the crash site as possible.
When a plane crashes in hostile territory, “they all head right to that site, you want to be as far away as you can,” Trump said.
Trump says the officer was “bleeding profusely” but was able climb mountainous terrain and contact US forces to communicate his location. Rescuers mobilized a massive response that included subterfuge to confuse the Iranians about where they were looking.
The president began describing the rescue efforts from Friday and over the weekend after two airmen ejected and landed alive “deep in enemy territory” in Iran.
Trump said 21 aircraft were deployed to help with the search and rescue in the first wave, flying for hours under “very, very heavy enemy fire.” He said the US has one helicopter with many bullets in it.
Published on April 6, 2026
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