Second American Airman Rescued from Iran After F-15 Shootdown

U.S. forces rescued the second crew member of an American F-15E fighter jet that was shot down over Iran on Friday, completing a dangerous mission deep inside Iranian territory over the weekend. President Trump called it "an Easter miracle" in a message to NBC News, praising U.S. forces for their "strong, decisive" actions.

Lawmakers from both parties praised the rescue, but the goodwill stops there. The U.S. and Israel have continued striking Iranian targets, while Iran has fired back at Israel and other American allies in the region. On Easter Sunday, Trump escalated his rhetoric on social media, threatening to strike Iran's power plants and bridges if the country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which about 20 percent of the world's oil passes each year.

Iran is not backing down. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned that Iranian forces "would target any similar infrastructure that is owned or in any way or manner related to the United States or contributes to their act of aggression against Iran." The country says the Strait will never return to its former state.

Trump has sent mixed signals about how long the conflict will last and whether American troops will enter Iran. Some Republicans are urging Iran to negotiate. Rep. Rick Crawford said, "It's in their interest to try to make a deal before the consequences rain down on them." Democrats, however, say the administration walked into this without a clear strategy. Rep. Jake Auchincloss argued that Iran now sees control over the Strait as more strategically valuable than even a nuclear weapon, calling the war "a failure" on those terms.

So far, U.S. allies have resisted Trump's calls to help secure the Strait so normal shipping can resume.