Trump makes fresh Iran threat as fighter jet crew member remains missing

Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to rain "hell" down on Iran if it refuses to "make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait" in the next 48 hours, as the crew member of an F-15 fighter jet remained missing for a second day. "Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Trump posted on Truth Social. "Time is running out -- 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!" The threat came as the Trump administration remained silent on the status of the missing American service member, more than 24 hours after their plane was shot down over Iran. A US search and rescue effort over south-western Iran on Friday resulted in the rescue of the F-15 Eagle's pilot, but not the plane's second crew member, its weapon systems officer, people familiar with the military's operations said. An A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft, designed to provide air support to ground troops, was also shot down and the pilot was rescued, they said. The White House and Pentagon on Saturday declined to say whether the administration believes the missing F-15 officer to be dead or alive, or whether they had been captured by Iran. The F-15E's crew could have ejected at slightly separate times, creating two landing spots, according to one person familiar with the air force's operations. The missing crew member could have been injured or killed during the ejection, the person said. It is also possible their location beacon could be broken, or that they are not able to turn it on for fear of giving away their position. The F-15E, an elite tactical aircraft designed to help "gain and maintain air supremacy over the battlefield", according to the US Air Force, was the first US fighter jet to be shot down in Iran since the start of the war five weeks ago. It marked a significant escalation in a conflict that has destabilised global economies and unleashed an energy crisis. Search and rescue operations over hostile territory are inherently dangerous, exposing rescue personnel at lower altitudes and at ground level to potential attack by enemy forces, and with critically few options for escape if they are also shot down. A US mission to rescue a group of downed helicopter airmen in Somalia in 1993 incurred more casualties than the initial operation and helicopter crashes did. Eighteen US forces died in what became known as the Battle of Mogadishu -- despite the presence of hundreds of US troops, including special forces, in the city at the time. The US has no such occupation force in Iran. Iranian state media on Saturday urged citizens in the south-west of the country, where the aircraft went down, to arm themselves and scour the surrounding plains and mountains in anticipation of a confrontation with US forces. At least one US helicopter participating in the rescue operation sustained rifle fire that injured members of its crew, people familiar with the US operations said. The downing of the F-15 E -- which the US Air Force says is equipped with "the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions and fight its way out" -- and the A-10 also exposed critical vulnerabilities for US forces, despite Trump's claims that Iran's Air Force and air defences have been "decimated". The planes, which can fly at an altitude of up to 18,288 metres according to the US military, have proven largely impervious to enemy fire in previous conflicts. Defence analysts said an advanced, long-range surface-to-air missile that can reach high altitudes would be required to take down an F-15. The Tasnim news agency, which is close to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, broadcast a statement from a military spokesperson on Saturday claiming that Iran would "overcome complete control of our country's skies and prove the enemy's humiliation to the world more than ever before". The US lost three other F-15s last month after they were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences. The American crew from those planes ejected safely. Iranian attacks continued against neighbouring Gulf states on Saturday. The United Arab Emirates' defence ministry reported a total of 70 missile and drone attacks over the past 24 hours -- a figure that exceeded all daily totals since March 8th. Debris from one of the aerial interceptions struck the facade of Oracle's Middle East regional office in Dubai, the UAE's media office said. Iran has targeted other technology infrastructure in the region, including Amazon data centres in Bahrain and the UAE and an Oracle data centre in Dubai, in addition to attacks on critical gas and oil infrastructure across the region and US and Israeli assets. US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said earlier this week that it had struck more than 12,300 targets inside Iran. Israeli forces have claimed thousands of strikes as well. The US and Israel have targeted Iran's critical infrastructure, including a bridge and fuel depots, in addition to military targets. Iranian state media reported on Saturday that a major Iranian petrochemical plant had been hit. Additional reporting by Simeon Kerr in Dubai, Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran and Alan Smith in London