A recent U.S. mission to rescue a downed airman may have been a cover operation to steal Iran's enriched uranium, the country's Foreign Ministry alleged Monday.
Earlier Sunday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. recovered a second crew member of an F-15E that went down over Iran Friday in what he called a "daring" search and rescue operation.
Iran's military has called it "a deception and escape mission," insisting it was "completely foiled."
On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said there were "many questions and uncertainties" about the operation.
"The area where the American pilot was claimed to be present in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province is a long way from the area where they attempted to land or wanted to land their forces in central Iran," Baghaei said.
"The possibility that this was a deception operation to steal enriched uranium should not be ignored at all."
He added that the operation was "a disaster" for the United States.
Iran's military said several U.S. aircraft had to "make emergency landings" in southern Isfahan province after being hit during the mission, with the U.S. "forced to heavily bombard the downed aircraft" as a result.
