Iran dey offer $66,000 reward to capture American crew member afta dem shoot down US fighter jet

Wia dis foto come from, Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images

    • Author, Lyse Doucet
    • Role, Chief international correspondent
  • Read am in 4 mins

US and Iranian forces dey search for one missing American crew member afta dem shoot down one US warplane.

Verified video show di US operation.

Di missing airman, one weapon systems officer, bin dey inside one US F-15 fighter jet wey dem shoot down for southern Iran, CBS report.

E dey unknown wetin don happun to di missing crew member. Dem don rescue one pilot wey bin also dey inside di jet.

Iranian security forces dey search di region for di airman - officials inside di kontri dey urge citizens to find di crew member "alive" and dem dey offer reward of £50,000 ($66,100) to capture am, state media tok.

Iran say dem don shoot down second US warplane ova di Gulf - US media report say dem shoot down one A-10 Warthog shot during a search-and-rescue mission for di first first aircraft wey dem fall.

Di pilot of di Warthog reportedly eject ova di Gulf and dem don rescue am.

Elsewhere, Israel say dem don carry out new series of attacks on "key infrastructure" for Tehran.

For Israel, emergency services say one pesin wound from shrapnel afta one missile attack from Iran bin dey intercepted.

Capturing American crew member go be 'huge prize' for Iran, US expert tok

Speaking to di Radio 4 Today programme, Laurel Rapp, director of di US and North America programme for Chatham House, say to rescue di missing crew member from di jet wey dem fall na "critical mission".

She say to capture di US crew member go be "huge prize" for Iran, offering dem a "veri powerful bargaining chip".

If dem capture am and dem release images of di captive, e fit worsen di American public view of war wey don already dey unpopular, Rapp add.

"If dose images come forward, e go dey incredibly shifting from American viewpoint".

If dem capture di service member, di risk be say de-escalating the conflict fit make am look like taking hostage offers leverage, Rapp tok. "Right now, di goals of dis operation... remain unclear and e dey become increasingly complex," she tok.

Risky time for US

E dey risky for operation US to go rescue di missing crew member, even though dem don prepare for years for dis kain moment.

E dey full of political danger.

If Iran find dis airman, and dem parade am for TV, e go be big win for Iran, and political shame - and worry - for US.

And, e go provide Tehran wit prisoner of war – wey fit help dem bargain wen dia effort to end dis war don dey stuck, despite say US President Donald Trump claim say dem dey make progress.

Dis moment fit give real meaning to di name of dis US military operation - Epic Fury.

Wen di retaliation come, e go dey risky for Iran, di region, and di world wey don suffer economic shocks.

Afta five weeks of war, di US and Israel don deal seriously wit Iran military strength.

But di defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, don repeatedly declare say dem don achieve "total air dominance."

Dem don burst dat boast.