“US Israel Iran War”

A U.S. fighter jet crashed in southern Iran on Friday, prompting a frantic search and rescue operation and the recovery of one of the two downed crew members, U.S. officials said.

The condition of the rescued crew member was not immediately clear, and an intense effort was still underway to recover the second, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation.

BREAKING 🔴🔴

CBS, citing 2 U.S. officials familiar with the situation, reports that 1 of the 2 crew members from a downed F-15E over Iran has been rescued. https://t.co/9fqCCvdWGN

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 3, 2026

h/t Mauser

🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷 BREAKING:

Axios confirms a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down inside Iran. Rescue efforts are now ongoing.

Somewhere on the ground, a crew is either evading, hiding, or already found. https://t.co/TF0hY2b4qA pic.twitter.com/ivvzEExlF6

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 3, 2026

h/t Mauser

Facing economic and political headwinds a month after launching a surprise attack on Iran, President Donald Trump defended the increasingly unpopular conflict Wednesday night, but assured the nation that the military activity in the Middle East was “nearing completion.”

In a speech from the White House, Trump said the United States was on track to complete all of its military objectives “shortly, very shortly” but first there would be a period of military buildup: “We’re going to hit them extremely hard,” he said. “Over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Age.”

WAPO’s recap of the President’s Address

President Trump Delivers an Address to the Nation, Apr. 1, 2026 https://t.co/QgofMPWtzW

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 2, 2026

In the turmoil of revolutions and the fall of empires, history sometimes seems to extend a helping hand: the opportunity, in this instance, to end at least one expansionist movement that has been threatening the West. The possible destruction of the mullahs’ regime in Iran would not merely represent a geopolitical victory; it would mark the dawn of an era in which the idea that all human societies must be governed by Allah’s law and not by men could finally be escorted back to where it came from.

US troops storming a secretive, underground nuclear facility to seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium may sound far-fetched, but it is an option President Donald Trump is reportedly considering to achieve his main objective in the war: preventing the regime from developing nuclear weapons.

Such an operation would be extremely challenging and fraught with danger, according to military experts and former US defence officials who spoke to the BBC. They said it would require the deployment of ground troops and could take several days or even weeks to complete.

Trump says “Iran’s New Regime President” has asked him for a ceasefire.

It is not clear who he is referring to.

Since the US and Israel began air strikes on Iran on 28 February, a number of senior Iranian leaders have been killed, including the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

And …

Oil price falls and markets rally after Trump says Iran war over in ‘two to three weeks’

Oil prices tumbled and stock markets have rallied across the world after Donald Trump said the war in Iran would end in “two to three weeks”.

Brent crude, an international benchmark for oil, fell as low as $98.35 a barrel on Wednesday, down more than 15% on the previous day and its lowest level in a week. It later recovered some ground, down 2.5% on the day at $101.

Plus …

Trump’s threatened to leave Nato before – but this time he’s angrier at alliance members

Of all the warnings in President Trump’s arsenal, leaving the Nato military alliance is among those he’s wielded the most. He almost did it in his first term.

Nato’s former chief Jens Stoltenberg said “we saw clear signs that Trump was preparing to act on his threat”, in his recent memoir On My Watch.

Stoltenberg recounted how he went on Fox News and credited Trump with pressuring Nato allies to increase their military spending.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called on allies to “step up” over the Strait of Hormuz, echoing earlier comments from President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday morning, Trump wrote on social media to tell countries to “go get your own oil”, adding that “the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us”.

Hegseth reiterated the president’s view during a news conference on Tuesday, saying it was not just the job of the US to secure what he called a “critical waterway”.

U.S. forces continue to eliminate the Iranian regime's ability to project power in meaningful ways outside of Iran's borders. pic.twitter.com/R2T0F9JOrY

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 30, 2026

ROME — As President Donald Trump amped up criticism of NATO countries for refusing to do more in the Iran war on Tuesday, European allies were doubling down on their resistance.

Italy in recent days denied landing rights to U.S. war planes seeking to land at Sigonella base in eastern Sicily after determining their flight plans were linked to the war effort, according to a senior Italian official.

That revelation — involving a nation led by a key Trump ally, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — emerged a day after Spain said it had gone further in its direct opposition to the war, now refusing not only use of its bases, but also overflight rights to aircraft involved in the conflict, its defense minister said.