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Iran on Thursday accused the United States of inventing key elements of the dramatic account of an Air Force colonel who survived the downing of his F-15E over Iran and was rescued after nearly two days behind enemy lines, dismissing Washington’s version of the operation as “fictional and unacceptable.” The U.S. military and the airman have presented a detailed account of the April incident, and CBS has aired newly declassified footage related to the rescue.

The officer, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons and who is known publicly by his mission call sign “Bravo,” described his ordeal for the first time during a “60 Minutes” report broadcast Sunday. Bravo was the weapons-systems officer aboard the two-seat F-15E, designated Dude 44, when the aircraft was hit by an Iranian shoulder-fired missile south of Isfahan.

According to Bravo, damage sustained during the attack affected his parachute, leaving him falling toward the ground at an estimated 70 to 100 mph following his ejection. He survived the impact but suffered serious injuries, including a broken back, arm and shoulder.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected that account. IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told Iranian state media that “no sound mind would accept [the U.S.] narrative because it is fictional and unacceptable,” characterizing the story as American wartime propaganda.

“The American pilot claimed that he fell at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour and survived, while his parachute did not even open and he crashed into the heart of a mountain,” Mohebbi said, accusing the United States of having fabricated accounts of its military accomplishments in previous conflicts as well.

Mohebbi argued that Washington was publicizing the account of the crash and rescue as the war with Iran continued beyond the six-month mark.

“The U.S. is embarrassing itself with these actions. These films (pilot interview) will definitely not only fail to bring any achievement … but will also become a source of ridicule,” Mohebbi said.

The American account, meanwhile, was considerably more detailed. U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper told CBS that Dude 44 had been conducting a strike against industrial facilities connected to Iran’s drone and missile programs when the aircraft was hit. The mission took place in mountainous terrain south of Isfahan on April 2.

Bravo said he and the aircraft’s pilot, known by the call sign “Alpha,” initially attempted to save the damaged fighter before determining that they had no choice but to eject. The two men came down approximately five miles apart. Alpha’s parachute functioned normally, while Bravo experienced the high-speed descent that he later described to CBS.

Alpha was recovered several hours later during a dangerous daylight operation in which American rescue helicopters came under fire. Bravo, however, remained stranded in Iranian territory as U.S. forces and intelligence agencies worked to locate him while Iranian forces were also searching the region.

Despite his injuries, Bravo said he moved away from his landing site and eventually climbed toward a roughly 7,000-foot ridgeline in an effort to avoid capture. At one point, he was able to communicate with American forces and inform them that he was injured but still mobile.

The effort to retrieve him ultimately became a massive military operation. According to the U.S. account, more than 90 American service members went onto Iranian soil during the rescue, with hundreds more participating in the air and thousands supporting the mission. The CIA also participated, using intelligence capabilities and a deception operation intended to hinder Iranian forces searching for the airman.

Two large search-and-rescue aircraft landed on a makeshift desert strip, after which smaller helicopters were dispatched to reach Bravo’s position in the mountains. The operation encountered another complication when the larger aircraft became stuck in the desert terrain and could not take off. The United States subsequently destroyed those aircraft, along with the smaller helicopters, to prevent sensitive technology from falling into Iranian hands.

Bravo was ultimately recovered approximately 50 hours after his F-15E was shot down, according to the U.S. account. Newly declassified military footage aired by CBS showed portions of the separate operations that retrieved Alpha and Bravo.

The Pentagon and White House have highlighted the operation as an example of the U.S. military’s commitment to recovering personnel behind enemy lines. The White House promoted Bravo’s account this week as an example of what it called the military’s “warrior ethos.”

The “60 Minutes” broadcast, however, has also generated controversy inside the United States. Media reports have alleged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon officials encouraged the airmen to participate in the television report after they expressed reservations about appearing publicly. The Pentagon has disputed claims that the men were forced to participate. Alpha ultimately declined an on-camera interview and instead provided CBS with a written statement.

In that statement, Alpha praised those who carried out the rescue.

“I am still in awe of the professionalism and tactical prowess of the Combat Search and Rescue specialists and the Joint Force who executed the rescue missions of me and DUDE 44 Bravo, both those in theater and behind the scenes,” Alpha said in a statement. “Words cannot capture how thankful my family and I are and how proud I am to serve alongside each and every one of them.”

Bravo, for his part, described his survival after the high-speed fall and nearly two days in hostile territory as a “modern-day miracle.” He said he wanted the episode to be understood as a story about the broader rescue effort rather than simply his own survival.

“It’s a story of the teamwork, the training, of the faith, of the decisions and the leadership to do something that will live in history as an example of what America’s willing to do, in order to uphold our promise and leave no man behind.”

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has authorized visas for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior members of Iran’s delegation to travel to New York for next week’s United Nations General Assembly, even as the United States and Iran remain at war.

The State Department confirmed Thursday that members of Iran’s “core delegation,” along with personnel deemed necessary to accompany them, had received visas. American officials said Pezeshkian and Araghchi are among those cleared to enter the United States.

“Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend the UN General Assembly High Level week. The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year,” the State Department said.

The approval comes more than six months into the war between Washington and Tehran, with little sign of an imminent breakthrough over either reopening the Strait of Hormuz or restarting negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program.

Elsewhere in the region, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have stepped up attacks targeting Saudi infrastructure and vessels traveling through the Red Sea. The continuing disruptions along the major international shipping route have contributed to increases in global oil prices.

Iran, meanwhile, remains subject to extensive American sanctions and is designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Trump administration has also intensified its economic pressure campaign against Tehran, targeting financial networks that Washington says provide critical sources of revenue to the Iranian government.

The decision to permit the Iranian officials to enter the country comes in the context of the United States’ responsibilities as host nation of the United Nations headquarters in New York. Washington can impose substantial limitations on visiting foreign delegations, and U.S. policy provides exceptions for certain diplomatic and official travel even amid broader restrictions on visas for Iranian nationals.

Iran’s representatives were subjected to similar limits during last year’s General Assembly. Only a restricted delegation was permitted to attend, and the officials faced strict boundaries on where they could travel while in New York. They were also prohibited from making purchases at wholesale membership stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club.

Those rules will remain in force during this year’s gathering. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Thursday that Iranian UN mission personnel, visiting government officials and their dependents will continue to be prohibited from purchasing luxury merchandise or obtaining memberships at American wholesale clubs.

Pigott, writing on social media, said the restrictions are designed to prevent Iranian officials from turning their trip to the United Nations into an opportunity to purchase expensive goods in the United States.

“While ordinary Iranians endure brutal repression, water and electricity shortages, and soaring inflation, the regime’s officials want to go on shopping sprees in New York. Not on our watch,” he wrote.

“We will not let the Iranian regime’s elites exploit UNGA for a luxury retail splurge paid for by the Iranian people’s suffering, all while the regime funnels Iran’s wealth to support its terrorist proxies. The US will continue to ban Iranian UN Mission officials, visiting officials, and their dependents from buying wholesale club memberships or luxury goods here. New York-area retailers: be on guard, don’t become complicit in these violations,” added Pigott.

Iranian forces have shot down at least two American MQ-1 military drones in recent days, adding to mounting U.S. aircraft losses during the ongoing war with Iran, according to American officials familiar with the incidents.

The U.S. officials, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, confirmed that at least two MQ-1 unmanned aircraft had been brought down by Iranian forces. The circumstances surrounding the shootdowns, including precisely where they occurred, remain unclear.

Officials also did not specify which version of the MQ-1 was lost. The U.S. military has operated two principal variants of the aircraft: the MQ-1 Predator, which was extensively deployed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before the Air Force retired it in 2018, and the larger MQ-1C Gray Eagle, which continues to be operated by the U.S. Army, including by special operations units.

Both aircraft were developed primarily for intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, though they are also capable of carrying Hellfire missiles. Such drones can play an important role around the Strait of Hormuz, providing persistent surveillance of the strategically vital waterway while tracking Iranian military activity and identifying potential threats to American forces and commercial shipping.

The financial cost of the latest losses depends heavily on which aircraft were destroyed. If they were older MQ-1 Predators, the two drones would have a combined value of roughly $8 million. Gray Eagles, depending on their configuration, are considerably more expensive and can cost tens of millions of dollars apiece.

The latest shootdowns come amid significant American drone losses during the war with Iran. A Congressional Budget Office report released this week said at least 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones have been lost since the conflict began, with those aircraft valued at approximately $720 million in total. The report also cited the destruction of an MQ-4C Triton, valued at roughly another $150 million.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the region, declined to comment to CBS News about the reported MQ-1 losses.

The new reports emerged as fighting between the United States and Iran continued despite several rounds of negotiations aimed at bringing the conflict to an end. Military operations have persisted across multiple fronts in the region.

Last week, American forces targeted several Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran subsequently responded by firing missiles at American military bases in Jordan.

President Donald Trump said the following day that he believed the war would conclude immediately following the U.S. midterm elections in November, saying Iran “can’t hold out any longer.”

The President on Thursday also signaled that he was weighing a consequential decision regarding the next phase of the U.S. campaign against Tehran.

“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” Trump told Axios.

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