U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the downing of an American warplane over Iran would not affect ongoing negotiations with Tehran, describing the situation as a sensitive military matter.
In a brief phone interview with the media outlet, Trump declined to discuss details of the ongoing search and rescue operation following the incident.
Per NBC News, the president voiced frustration with media coverage of the situation, which involves efforts to locate crew members after the aircraft was brought down.
When asked whether the developments would influence diplomatic efforts with Iran, Trump dismissed the idea.
"No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war, Garrett," Trump told NBC News correspondent Garrett Haake.
The circumstances that downed the plane were at first unclear. But in an email from the Pentagon obtained by The Associated Press, the U.S. military said it received notification of "an aircraft being shot down" in the Middle East, without providing more details.
Separately, a second U.S. Air Force combat aircraft went down in the Middle East on Friday, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation. It was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down or whether Iran was involved. Neither the crew's status nor where the aircraft went down was immediately known.
The New York Times earlier reported that the second aircraft went down. Prior to word of the rescue, social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where a TV channel affiliated with Iranian state television had said earlier Friday that at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.
An anchor had urged residents to hand over any "enemy pilot" to police and promised a reward.
It was the first time the U.S. has lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the conflict and could mark a new level of pressure being placed on the U.S. military.
