US fighter plane comes down in southern Iran
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 3 April 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The US pilot reportedly ejected and has been rescued, despite an Iranian bounty offered for his capture. Another crew member may still be missing in Iran. We hear the latest, and discuss the perils of rescue missions in hostile territory with former US Marine Corps Special Operations specialist Jonathan Hackett.
Also in the programme: Myanmar general installed as president of the country in a bid for legitimacy by the military regime; and the friction between Pope Leo XIV and a US administration at war.
(Photo: A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft takes off for a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, March 9, 2026. Credit: US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.6 | Hello and welcome to Newsout, from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:12.9 | We're coming to you live from London. |
| 0:14.7 | I'm James Menendez. |
| 0:16.0 | And we're going to begin straight away today with those reports that an American fighter plane has come down over southern Iran. |
| 0:22.2 | It was an F-15E, which normally has a crew of two. |
| 0:26.5 | US media is saying that one of those crew members has been rescued, but we don't know about a second. |
| 0:32.8 | The Iranian authorities say that their military shot down the plane, |
| 0:36.0 | and they've been offering a reward to anyone |
| 0:37.8 | who captures a crew member. Here's what they've been saying on Iranian State TV. |
| 0:48.0 | Attention, dear viewers, residents of Kukilu andu and Boi Rahmat province, brave and honorable people. |
| 0:57.4 | If you capture an enemy pilot or pilots and hand them over alive to law enforcement or military forces, |
| 1:04.3 | you will receive a valuable reward and bounty. |
| 1:12.7 | Let's talk to Ione-, our correspondent in Washington, D.C., who joins us now. |
| 1:18.1 | I only, I mean, this did happen a few hours ago. |
| 1:20.5 | Has there been any word from either the White House or the Pentagon about what has happened |
| 1:24.8 | and what is happening now? |
| 1:27.3 | No, we haven't had any official comment yet from either. |
| 1:30.5 | Donald Trump was briefly stopped for questions by NBC here in the United States |
| 1:35.2 | asking if today's news would impact negotiations with Iran. |
| 1:39.5 | He simply said no, but we haven't heard any direct comments so far from either the |
| 1:44.1 | Pentagon and the White |
... |
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