WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that U.S. military forces have successfully executed two separate, high-risk rescue operations inside Iran — including a daring extraction of an American Colonel who was being hunted behind enemy lines.
"WE GOT HIM!" the President wrote on his social media platform Truth Social late Saturday night, U.S. time. "My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!"
According to the President's statement, the Colonel was located in the "treacherous mountains of Iran" with enemy forces closing in. At Trump's direction, dozens of U.S. aircraft armed with "the most lethal weapons in the World" were deployed to retrieve him. The officer sustained injuries but is expected to recover fully.
In a striking revelation, Trump also disclosed that a separate rescue of another American pilot had taken place the previous day — an operation his administration did not publicly confirm at the time to avoid endangering the second mission.
"This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory," the President said. "WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!"
Trump emphasized that both operations were completed without a single American fatality — or even injury — calling it proof of "overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies."
The President praised the coordination between himself, Secretary of War, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and frontline warfighters who monitored the Colonel's location around the clock.
"This is a moment that ALL Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else, should be proud of and united around," Trump said. "We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World."
The Pentagon has not yet released additional operational details, and Iranian officials have not commented on the alleged incursions into their airspace or territory.
The White House confirmed that the President remains in direct communication with military commanders.
File photo: Maj. Sean Loughlin, F-35A Demonstration Team pilot, performs aerial maneuvers at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., March 21, 2026, during Luke Days Airshow. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Rupiperaj).
