Trump Claimed Total Control of Iran's Airspace. Then Two Warplanes Were Downed

President Trump claimed this week that the U.S. had total air control over Iran with no functioning air defenses, but two American warplanes were shot down Friday—an F-15E fighter jet over southern Iran and an A-10 Thunderbolt near the Strait of Hormuz—contradicting the administration's public statements. The F-15 pilot was rescued, but a search-and-rescue mission is underway for the second crew member, with Iranian forces and U.S. military units competing to locate the downed aviator. Iran's military said it used a new air defense system to down the F-15 and claimed it would "achieve full control" of its airspace, contradicting U.S. military assessments that Iranian defenses had been degraded. The downings suggest Iran retains functioning surface-to-air missile systems, including Russian-supplied Verba shoulder-fired missiles acquired in a multi-million dollar arms deal with Moscow. Trump threatened Iran with "hell" on Saturday if it doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, escalating tensions as the military operation faces new complications.