The United States and Iran have offered conflicting accounts over whether the rescue mission for the pilot of a downed US F‑15E jet was a success or failure.

US President Donald Trump confirmed the mission's success on Truth Social, describing it as "one of the boldest search and rescue operations in US history." Iran, by contrast, said the US mission had failed and claimed several US aircraft had been shot down.

On Sunday, US officials told media that both crew members from the downed F‑15E in Iran had been recovered after a "heavy firefight." The second rescued pilot is injured but remains "safe and sound," according to Trump.

The aircraft had been downed earlier Friday in southern Iran, marking the first time the United States has officially confirmed losing a warplane to Iranian fire. One crew member was recovered earlier, while both US and Iranian forces had been searching for the second.

The US later acknowledged losing two additional aircraft during the pilot rescue effort, while Iran claims it shot down several.

Trump: Dozens of aircraft deployed to rescue pilot

Trump said that on his orders, "dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the world," were deployed to carry out the rescue. The rescued officer, an Air Force colonel, had "sustained injuries, but he will be just fine," he said, adding that the first pilot had been recovered earlier.

The delay in confirming the rescue, he explained, was to avoid jeopardizing the second operation.

The second pilot has since been evacuated to Kuwait for medical treatment. He reportedly evaded Iranian search teams in a mountain crevice for more than 24 hours, armed only with a pistol.

Hundreds of US special forces troops and other military personnel took part in the mission, which involved clashes with Iranian forces. All US troops have now left Iran.

In addition, two US transport aircraft became stranded in Iran due to mechanical failures during the rescue. The US later sent three replacement planes and destroyed the two disabled aircraft to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.

"The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

A senior US military official described the mission to rescue the airman as one of the most challenging and complex in the history of US special operations, given the mountainous terrain, the pilot's injuries, and Iranian forces rushing to the location.

Iran: Four more US aircraft shot down

Iran's armed forces on Sunday stated that the US attempt to rescue the downed pilot inside Iran had "failed" and that enemy aircraft involved in the operation had been shot down.

A spokesperson for Iran's Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya said two Black Hawk helicopters and a C‑130 military transport plane were shot down in the south of Isfahan province. A US A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft was also hit over Iran on Friday, according to the Iranian account.

Iran is reportedly using an extensive network of multi-spectral cameras to track and identify US and Israeli aircraft.

Amir Avivi, chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, noted that Iran has deployed these cameras along common or critical flight routes for enemy aircraft. The systems can detect wavelengths beyond visible light and do not emit signals that Israel could use to locate them, unlike radar. Once an enemy aircraft is detected, Iranian forces attempt to shoot it down.