President Trump said Monday that an unidentified leaker within the administration threatened the success of the rescue operation in Iran over the weekend by disclosing to journalists that a U.S. plane had been shot down and that military personnel were searching for the downed airmen.
On Friday, an American F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iran. The pilot and the weapons systems operator ejected from the aircraft. The pilot was rescued later that day, but the weapons system operator remained missing deep in Iran for more than 48 hours.
Addressing reporters in the White House briefing room, Trump touted the success of the operation but said that U.S. forces lost the element of surprise after journalists reported that a rescue operation was under way.
“We didn’t talk about the first one [missing airman] for an hour, and then somebody leaked something, which we’ll hopefully find that leaker, we’re looking very hard to find that leaker,” the president said during his Monday afternoon press conference.
Trump said the administration plans to go directly to the media outlets that first reported the news, after receiving a tip from said leaker regarding the missing airmen. It’s unclear exactly which media outlets Trump was threatening but Fox News and the Washington Post were among the first to report that the F-15 had been shot down.
“We’re going to go to that media company that released it, and we’re going to say ‘National Security — give it up or go to jail,'” Trump said. “Because when they did that, all of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land, that was fighting for his life. It also made it much more difficult for the pilots and the people going in.”
President Trump on leak during rescue of two U.S. airmen from Iran: "We're going to go to that media company that released it, and we're going to say 'National Security—give it up or go to jail.'…It made it much more difficult for the pilots." pic.twitter.com/v2CsdDMAt4
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 6, 2026
When asked which news outlets the president is referencing, a White House official told National Review an investigation is underway.
Iranian state media encouraged civilians to help search for the missing American airman, and even offered a reward for his capture. The weapon systems operator, however, was able to tend to his wounds while climbing 7,000 feet up a mountain and hiding from the Iranian military for close to 48 hours.
“He was injured quite badly,” Trump said during Monday’s press conference. “He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, treated his own wounds.”
The U.S. launched a rescue mission, which included a CIA deception campaign, to locate the service member.
“At the president’s direction, we deployed both human assets and exquisite technologies,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said, describing the mission as “a daunting challenge, comparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert.”
According to the president, 155 military aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft were deployed to rescue the airman from deep within Iran.
The second airman, the weapons system officer, was ultimately rescued Sunday morning, Easter Sunday. When the airman sent a message from his transponder to facilitate the pick up, he sent the message “God is good.”
“The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies,” Trump said in a social media post.
Regarding negotiations with Iran, the president said Iran is a “willing participant” and would like to make a deal with the United States. He also said he cannot say whether Operation Epic Fury is winding down or ramping up, but confirmed, “we’re negotiating with Iran in good faith.”
Trump has given the Iranian government until Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST to come to a satisfactory deal with the U.S. or face the destruction of valuable infrastructure such as bridges and power plants. Iran rejected the White House’s most recent 45-day cease-fire offer, but signaled there is a need for a permanent end to the conflict.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said during the press conference, referencing the 8 p.m. deadline.
“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told the Associated Press. Iran is negotiating with the U.S. through Pakistan as a mediator.
During his primetime address last week, Trump called on U.S. allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the U.S. has no interest in protecting trade in the region. But he appeared to pivot during his Monday remarks, insisting that any deal with Tehran would have to include an agreement to allow ships through the strait unimpeded.