AFP, Tehran

Iran’s foreign ministry said yesterday that a US operation to rescue a downed airman may have been a cover to “steal enriched uranium” from the Islamic republic.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the US recovered a second crew member of an F-15E that went down over Iran on 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”.

Yesterday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei 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,” Baqaei 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 US aircraft had to “make emergency landings” in southern Isfahan province after being hit during the mission, with the US “forced to heavily bombard the downed aircraft” as a result.

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities said on Sunday morning that yet another US aircraft – a Lockheed C-130 Hercules – had been downed.

The US has not responded to those claims.