US so-called rescue mission ‘ended in total failure’: Khatam al-Anbiya

The US military’s attempted rescue operation in southern Isfahan ended in total failure, with two C-130 transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters destroyed, according to Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.

[Notes:  Think back to when Nicholas Maduro was nabbed.  The photos were out before the nabbing was complete.

There is not one photo here, only Trump saying there was a rescue.  Iran does not speak about the airmen, but they do say the search is continuing.  From Iranian sources, we have one photo: undies.  There are still many questions.  Nomads took down the Black Hawks:  Iran’s IRGC praised these nomads from the southern provinces for independently shooting down two Black Hawk helicopters that had entered Iran to rescue pilots of a downed F-15.

Al Mayadeen a few hours ago

The so-called rescue operation carried out by the US military “ended in total failure,” the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya asserted in a statement on Sunday. The operation, planned under the pretext of rescuing a downed pilot at an abandoned airport, was thwarted by the timely intervention of Iran’s armed forces.

According to the statement, the mission, described as a rapid extraction by the US military, was exposed as a deceptive maneuver carried out to mask Washington’s military failure.

“Based on prior intelligence and further on-site assessments by experts, it was determined that two C-130 military transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters belonging to the US Army were destroyed,” the statement detailed, noting that the swift and powerful resistance from Iran’s armed forces had compounded the US’ repeated failures in Iran.

As a result, the Islamic Republic of Iran was able to demonstrate once more that the “weakened and bankrupt” US military was not a dominant or superior force in the imposed war on Tehran, particularly when faced with the resolve of the nation’s armed forces, according to the statement.

Zolfaghari further noted that US President Donald Trump’s “resorted to psychological warfare and false claims to cover up his defeat, as the ground reality has proven Iran’s superiority in battle.”

What did the US claim?

Earlier today, US officials told Axios that special forces allegedly rescued the second crew member of the F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, following an operation that involved confrontations with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and aerial attacks.

On Friday, an F-15 fighter jet was downed over southwestern Iran. Both the pilot and weapons systems officer ejected and made contact with US forces through their communications systems. The shootdown, described by Axios as a “nightmare scenario,” triggered an urgent search and rescue mission, while the IRGC mobilized to locate the missing personnel.

The US admitted that during the first rescue, a Blackhawk helicopter came under attack by Iranian forces, resulting in injuries to some crew members. However, Washington claimed it was able to carry out its mission as intended.

The IRGC fully countered the claims, asserting that the mission failed and resulted in additional losses for the US military.

#WATCH | Footage shows the remains of destroyed #US invading and hostile aircraft in #Isfahan, Iran.#IranWar #WarOnIran #Iran pic.twitter.com/SnAtzY3vrE

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 5, 2026