A U.S. military pilot is still missing; Trump: Hope "that kind of situation" doesn't happen.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 4 - A U.S. Air Force F-15E "Strike Eagle" dual-seat fighter jet was shot down over Iran on the 3rd. Both pilots ejected and escaped, with one being rescued by U.S. forces and the other missing.

On the same day, U.S. President Trump briefly accepted a phone interview with the British newspaper The Independent. When asked how the U.S. would respond if the pilot were captured or harmed in Iran, Trump stated, "I can't say because - we hope that won't happen." He then quickly ended the call.

This is the first time a U.S. military aircraft has been shot down in Iranian territory since the large-scale military operations initiated by the U.S. and Israel on February 28. Iran is offering a reward for the capture of the missing pilot.

The Iranian military stated that on April 3, Iranian air defense forces also shot down a U.S. A-10 "Warthog" attack aircraft near the Strait of Hormuz. According to U.S. media reports, this single-seat aircraft was hit while providing support for the rescue of the two pilots mentioned above. The attack aircraft's pilot flew the damaged plane into Kuwaiti airspace, ejected, and escaped, while the aircraft crashed.

Some U.S. media pointed out that the U.S. military lost two aircraft in one day, less than 48 hours after President Trump claimed in a nationwide television address that the military operations against Iran had achieved "rapid, decisive, and overwhelming victory." (Ou Sa)