Iran initially had no clue about the second airman of the F-15E who went missing in their territory after the jet was downed, but a "mole" in the US government leaked the information to the media, following which a hunt began by Tehran, President Donald Trump has said.
Addressing a press briefing at the White House on Monday, Trump warned the American media outlet to reveal their source or go to jail as he vowed to find the "leaker" who divulged the sensitive information.
Iran didn't know about US airman: Trump
Trump said a media report revealing that US forces had rescued one F-15 crew member but were still searching for a second had complicated the rescue operation by alerting Iran.
"We're looking very hard to find that leaker. They basically said that we have one, and there's somebody missing. Well, [Iran] didn't know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information," Trump said.
Trump said the disclosure forced the US military into a far more difficult position. "It became a much more difficult operation because a leaker leaked that we have one, we've rescued one, but there's another one out there that we're trying to get," he said.
Warning to media: 'Give it up go to jail'
Trump said US authorities would approach the media organisation that published the report and demand disclosure of the source’s identity, warning of possible prosecution if it refused to comply. However, it was not immediately clear which outlet he was referring to.
He added that the government would invoke national security concerns to press the organisation, stating that officials believed they would eventually identify the source of the leak.
Trump also claimed that after the report became public, Iran issued a notice offering a reward for the capture of the missing pilot, which he said further complicated the ongoing rescue mission. According to him, the development increased the urgency and risk surrounding the operation.
Calling the leak serious, Trump said efforts were underway to track down the individual responsible, warning that the journalist involved could face jail time if the source was not revealed.
Daring ops to rescue F-15E pilot
The F-15E Strike Eagle was reportedly shot down over southwestern Iran on Friday, marking the first confirmed loss of a US combat aircraft inside the country since the conflict began on February 28.
Both crew members of the aircraft, a pilot and a weapons systems officer, successfully ejected. While the pilot was rescued shortly afterwards, the second airman could not be located immediately.
The rescue mission was carried out by SEAL Team 6, with hundreds of special operations troops and other US military personnel operating deep inside Iran, as per a New York Times report.
The report said US aircraft conducted air strikes and opened fire on Iranian convoys to prevent them from approaching the area where the airman was believed to be hiding. Commandos also used gunfire to hold off advancing Iranian forces during the operation, although no direct firefight was reported.
Also read: Iran accuses US of using operation to retrieve airman as cover to 'steal' uranium
