Iran…Trump….3/4/2026…More Trump Threats…Searching…Seeds of Hegseth’s Demise?

In a social media post on Saturday morning, Mr. Trump did not address the airman’s status. Instead, he reiterated that the deadline for his threat to massively bombard Iranian power plants would expire in 48 hours unless Iran agreed to stop blockading the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for Persian Gulf oil and gas.

Mr. Trump has already delayed the ultimatum twice, saying that there were ongoing talks between the United States and Iran. Iranian officials have publicly dismissed U.S. demands, however, and continued to voice defiance after the two airmen were shot down on Friday.

“This brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?’” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, wrote on social media on Friday.

It was not clear how the airman’s fate might play into Mr. Trump’s decision-making over the next 48 hours as he weighs whether and how to carry out his threat.

The downing of the fighter jet on Friday was the first time U.S. personnel and combat aircraft have been shot down in Iran since the U.S.-Israeli war began in late February. Iranian forces were also seeking to capture the missing American, Iranian officials said, speaking anonymously to discuss ongoing operations.

An Israeli official said Israel’s military was sharing intelligence with the Americans and had suspended attacks on Iran in the area where the airman was believed to have been lost. The official, who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive plans, did not say whether Israel’s operations were limited to those actions.

The incident also underscored Iran’s ability to fight back despite weeks of attacks on its military arsenal. Iran has continued to launch ballistic missiles and drones at Israel and Arab states across the Middle East, defying U.S.-Israeli efforts to degrade their capabilities.

On Friday, a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter involved in the rescue effort was hit by ground fire but escaped to safety, and a second U.S. military jet crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, the critical Persian Gulf waterway, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. The pilot in that plane was rescued.

Elsewhere in Iran, at least one person was killed when a projectile struck the perimeter of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southwest Iran on Saturday, according to the semiofficial Iranian Tasnim news agency. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had formally notified them of the episode but that no increase in radiation levels had been reported. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment.

Here’s what else we’re covering:

• Petrochemical factories hit: Israel on Saturday struck the Mahshahr petrochemical complex, a sprawling industrial center in Iran’s southwest that plays a significant role in the country’s economy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said the targeted sites were part of a “money machine” that brought in revenues for the Iranian government. At least five people were killed and 170 others injured in the attack on the major oil industry hub, state media in Iran reported.

• Lebanon: Several civilians were killed and more were injured in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Saturday as Israel issued new warnings for neighborhoods in the city and its suburbs, Lebanon’s national news agency said.

• Iranian missiles: After its underground missile bunkers and silos are bombed, Iran digs them out and returns them to operation within hours, according to U.S. intelligence reports. Iran on Saturday fired ballistic missiles at Israel, lightly wounding four, according to the authorities. Despite the U.S.-Israeli campaign, Iran still possesses powerful military capabilities. Read more ›

• Death tolls: The Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 1,607 civilians, including 244 children, had been killed in Iran as of Friday. Lebanon’s health ministry on Thursday said at least 1,345 Lebanese had been killed since the latest fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began. In attacks blamed on Iran, at least 50 people have been killed in Gulf nations. In Israel, at least 17 people had been killed as of Friday. The American death toll stands at 13 service members, with hundreds of others wounded….