CCP Media Make False Claims About US Rescue Mission in Iran

Trump says a missing crew member was rescued; days later, Chinese state media cite Iranian reports alleging that the rescue mission failed.

The official Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps website shows wreckage at what Iran's state TV claimed was the site of a downed U.S. transport plane and two helicopters involved in a rescue operation, in Isfahan province, Iran, in April 2026. Sepahnews via AP

Contradicting claims have spread online in recent days after a U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran amid the U.S.–Israeli conflict with the Iranian regime, with Chinese state media citing Iranian reports that the U.S. rescue mission had failed.

Just after midnight on April 5, U.S. President Donald Trump said the second crew member from a downed American F-15E fighter jet had been safely recovered, ending hours of uncertainty about the fate of the missing airman.