U.S. rescues downed pilot! Details revealed: Fierce firefight ensued, destroying two transport aircraft!

Here are the latest updates on the U.S.-Iran situation.

In an early-morning social media post on April 5, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. military carried out “one of the boldest search-and-rescue operations in U.S. history,” and that the second missing U.S. aviator “is safe and sound.”

Trump said that at his instruction, the U.S. military deployed dozens of aircraft to successfully bring the pilot back. The pilot was injured, but overall conditions are good.

According to the U.S. side on the 5th, the second pilot aboard the U.S. F-15E fighter that was shot down has been sent to Kuwait for treatment. During the process of rescuing the pilot, the U.S. military destroyed two “stranded” U.S. transport aircraft that were carrying out the rescue mission.

The reports said that the pilot searched for more than 24 hours in mountainous areas to evade Iran, and his personal weapons consisted of only a pistol. The U.S. military mobilized hundreds of special operations personnel to carry out the rescue. During the rescue operation, there was an exchange of fire with Iranian forces.

Meanwhile, according to reports from Iran on the 5th, an Iranian military spokesperson said that the U.S. rescue mission for the pilot “failed,” and that its two “Black Hawk” helicopters and a C-130 transport plane were shot down.

On the 5th, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran said that during the U.S. pilot rescue operation, Iranian armed forces carried out a multi-department joint action and destroyed multiple enemy aircraft.

A message released by the central headquarters of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya confirmed that Revolutionary Guard soldiers and Basij militia forces jointly acted in coordination with a special-operations unit of the law-enforcement command, striking and destroying the enemy aircraft in the southern part of Isfahan.

Earlier, Iran’s military had released a statement saying that its air defense units successfully intercepted and destroyed a Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the U.S. and Israel in Isfahan.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran released a statement saying that under the control of the country’s integrated national air defense network, Iran’s aerospace force’s new defensive system discovered and shot down an MQ-9 drone in Isfahan.

Iran’s law-enforcement command released a statement saying that police assault teams shot down a U.S. C-130 transport plane in the southern area of Isfahan.

In addition, during the past week, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—a major waterway—has rebounded. As of the local time on April 3, the seven-day rolling average of daily passage volume had reached the highest level since the outbreak of the Iran war.

According to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, since the morning of the local time on the 3rd, a total of 13 ships have crossed the strait: 10 have sailed out of the Persian Gulf and 3 have entered from the open sea. Even so, compared with the number prior to the war’s outbreak on February 28, this is still a trickle. Under normal circumstances, about one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the strait.

Bloomberg noted that an increasing number of ships are crossing the strait, including some that have no obvious links to Iran. Countries are negotiating with Tehran so that their ships can pass smoothly. Among the ships that transited in the past day, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers accounted for the majority, including one vessel bound for India and other vessels associated with Iran.

According to Iran’s local reports on the 4th, Iran has approved cargo ships carrying essential daily-life supplies and humanitarian aid to pass through the Strait of Hormuz en route to Iranian ports or ports in the Gulf of Oman.

The report said that ships bound for Iranian ports—including those currently located in the Gulf of Oman—must coordinate with authorities and comply with the established passage agreements in order to pass through the strait.

In addition, amid the continuing Middle East conflict and the worsening disruption of global energy supply chains, British Foreign Secretary Cooper convened an online international meeting on the 2nd. Representatives from more than 40 countries and international organizations, including the EU and other international maritime organizations, attended to discuss restoring passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

As previously reported by China Central Television (CCTV) News, multiple ships from Japan, Turkey, and other countries have already passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

A spokesperson for Japan’s Mitsui Co., Ltd. said that one liquefied petroleum gas tanker belonging to its group company had passed through the Strait of Hormuz before April 4 Japan time. It is understood that this is the second Japan-related vessel to leave the gulf since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively blocked. On the 3rd, the company also had one liquefied natural gas tanker pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

On the 4th, Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, also said that a second Turkish vessel had successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Uraloğlu said that since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, a total of 15 ships owned by Turkish shipowners have been stranded near the Strait of Hormuz. The first ship was granted permission by Iran to pass in mid-March, and in recent days, the second ship has also completed passage smoothly.

In a report dated April 3, it said that three large commercial ships operated by Oman recently successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz. It is understood that this fleet is made up of two ultra-large crude oil tankers and one liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker. According to relevant tracking data, the three ships have arrived in waters offshore of Muscat, Oman, and completed entry into port.

The data show that the two oil tankers each carried about 2 million barrels of crude oil, while the LNG tanker was reportedly empty. It is understood that all three vessels are managed by Omani ship management companies, but the company has not made any comment on the matter.

It is known that the LNG tanker “Sohar LNG” is the first of its kind to leave the Persian Gulf since the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict broke out at the end of February. Notably, these ships chose a relatively uncommon route: the “southern passage” that runs along Oman’s coastline, avoiding the north-side route closer to Iranian waters.

On April 2 local time, a container ship belonging to the French CMA CGM Group left the Persian Gulf by passing through the Strait of Hormuz and marked “French shipowner” in the ship’s automatic identification system (AIS) signal.

According to a message from the maritime tracking website marinetraffic.com, the container ship named “Kribi,” flying a Maltese flag, passed through the Strait of Hormuz from west to east in the afternoon of April 2 local time. As of the morning of April 3, the vessel had arrived in waters near Oman’s capital, Muscat.

Navigation information shows that the ship continued to broadcast “French shipowner” information in its navigation signals, rather than displaying its destination.

Compiled from: CCTV News, China Securities Journal, etc.

Proofread by: Yang Shuxin