TEHRAN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday the U.S. operation to rescue its downed fighter jet's pilot in central Isfahan province could be a "deception operation" aimed at stealing Iran's enriched uranium.
The operation, however, ended in failure, Baghaei told reporters at a weekly press conference in Tehran.
"The possibility that this was a deception operation to steal enriched uranium should not be overlooked. However, what is clear is that the result of this operation was nothing but failure for the other side," Baghaei said.
The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said on Friday its air defense systems had shot down a U.S. F-35 fighter jet in central Iranian airspace, adding the fate of the pilot or pilots was unknown.
The United States later claimed that the downed fighter jet was an F-15E, and that it had rescued one of the downed fighter jet's pilots, adding that rescue operations were underway to find and recover the other one.
On Sunday, Trump, in a post on social media platform Truth Social, claimed that U.S. forces had carried out "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in U.S. history," adding the second pilot was rescued and is "safe and sound."
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of the Iranian armed forces, said on Sunday that four U.S. military aircraft, including two C-130 Hercules military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters, were shot down in Iran's central airspace during the U.S. mission to rescue the pilot.
Iranian media, including Fars news agency, reported that several U.S. soldiers were killed during the operation.
Iran is believed to be in possession of a stockpile of 60-percent enriched uranium that is reportedly buried "under the rubble" of its bombed nuclear facilities, including the one located in Isfahan. ■
