Tehran (AFP) – Iran deployed troops and offered a bounty as it launched a hunt for a US pilot whose jet Iranian media reported had been downed by the Islamic Republic’s air defense systems on Friday. US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for military operations in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on the first such report in the ongoing war engulfing the region.
The conflict began more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering retaliatory actions that have spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide. “Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today,” Iran’s Fars news agency reported. “Dear and honorable people of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, if you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police and military forces, you will receive a valuable reward and bonus,” said an Iranian television reporter on the official local channel.
The report of the downed jet coincided with fresh strikes hitting Israel, Iran, and Gulf countries, with large blasts shaking northern Tehran Friday afternoon, according to an AFP journalist. It was not immediately clear what specific targets were hit. Earlier, Israel’s military reported a new missile salvo from Iran, activating its air defenses. Strikes from all sides have increasingly targeted economic and industrial sites, heightening fears of broader disruption to global energy supplies and deepening the conflict’s impact beyond the battlefield.
The Iranian response came as former President Trump stated that the US military “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” on his Truth Social platform, following recent US strikes on Iran’s tallest bridge. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that about 70 percent of Iran’s steel production capacity has been disrupted, after the country’s two largest steel plants were forced out of action by several waves of US and Israeli air attacks earlier this week.
In parallel, Iran’s former top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called for a peace deal in the US journal Foreign Affairs. He suggested that Tehran could strike a deal with the United States to end the war by offering to curb its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief. Zarif proposed that Iran could “declare victory” and create an agreement that both ends the conflict and prevents future ones. Since the war began, Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas typically passes during peacetime. Consequently, fuel prices have soared globally.
Among the few ships that have managed to cross, many have had links to Iran. An analysis by AFP indicated that sixty percent of commodity-bearing ships passing through the strait either came from Iran or were heading there. In the first known transit by a major European shipping group since March 1, the Maltese-flagged Kribi, belonging to the French maritime transport group CMA CGM, crossed the strait to exit the Gulf on Thursday, according to Marine Traffic data.
Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari cautioned that in response to Trump’s threats to attack infrastructure, Iran would escalate its attacks on energy sites in the region. A drone attack on a refinery owned by Kuwait’s national oil company on Friday reportedly sparked fires at several of its units, as state media reported. Subsequently, Iranian attacks damaged a power and desalination complex, according to Kuwait’s water and electricity ministry. In Abu Dhabi, a gas complex shut down following a fire that broke out, which resulted from an attack that caused “falling debris” upon interception, the government media office stated.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported on Friday that it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon in the month since fighting ensued with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It further announced plans to target two bridges in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa region “to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and military equipment.” Lebanon’s health ministry indicated on Thursday that 1,345 individuals had been killed and 4,040 wounded since the war began, including 1,129 men, 91 women, and 125 children, along with 53 healthcare workers. Hezbollah has not disclosed its casualties.
Additionally, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon reported that a blast injured three peacekeepers at one of its positions, marking the third such incident in a week. A UNIFIL spokesperson noted that the origin of the explosion remains unknown. The war’s economic repercussions are extending well beyond the Middle East, as energy and oil costs continue to surge. Analysts critiqued Trump’s recent address, stating it lacked clarity regarding an exit strategy from the war.
Meanwhile, the White House submitted a spending proposal to lawmakers on Friday, calling for a substantial increase in the US defense budget. While it remains uncertain what Congress will ultimately approve, US media reported that the proposed $1.5 billion budget request—a 42 percent increase—would represent the largest year-on-year rise in Pentagon spending since World War II.
As energy costs skyrocket worldwide, Egypt has mandated that shops, restaurants, and shopping malls close by 9:00 pm on weekdays. Protests erupted in the Pakistani city of Lahore, with dozens calling on the government to reverse fuel price hikes. “The government, overnight, has dropped a ‘petrol bomb’ on its people,” said Naveed Ahmed, a 39-year-old protestor, during an interview with AFP.
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