Will Donald Trump deliver his speech on Iran? The question arises as an American pilot is still actively sought on this Saturday, April 4, by Tehran as well as by Washington, after his plane crashed on Friday in southwest Iran. Tehran claims to have shot it down. While the American president predicts an American victory, the Iranians have shown their ability to respond.
In the United States, the dismissal of this high-ranking military officer by Trump supporters confirms their trend towards a “purge.”
Raising concerns in the American press, starting with NBC News, which does not hesitate to talk about a “turning point in the war.” “Less than 48 hours after the president told Americans that the army had ‘beaten and completely decimated Iran,’ Tehran shot down an F-15E fighter bomber,” notes the channel on its website.
Pointing out the contradictions between the reassuring speeches of the executive and the “sad reality,” NBC News observes that the Iranian military capabilities are apparently “sufficient to cause considerable damage” to Americans and their allies in the Middle East.
This assessment of Iranian capabilities is shared by CNN. The channel points out that the statements by Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth, his Defense Secretary, about American “predominance” over Tehran, have not aged well. The Pentagon chief had notably mentioned “total control of Iranian airspace” by Washington, asserting that “Iran cannot do anything about it.”
“Iran could use this as a means of pressure”
The downed plane in Iran and the still sought-after pilot do not mean that “Iran suddenly finds itself on an equal military footing,” explains CNN, but the entire sequence “highlight the dangers of asymmetrical warfare,” which concern some Americans, explaining their reluctance to engage in military interventions abroad.
In the New York Times, the tone is not more optimistic. The leading American newspaper is worried about the impact that the capture of the American soldier by Tehran could have. “Iran could use this as a means of pressure on the United States,” warns the journalist from the headline, before recalling that the Islamic Republic has previously relied on hostages to achieve its goals.
The article notably mentions the crisis of American hostages – “a traumatizing event in American history” – when about fifty diplomats and civilians were held hostage in the US embassy in Tehran for 444 days. Regarding the case of the American pilot sought in Iran, the New York Times envisions two scenarios.
“If the capture remains secret,” the Iranians could seek a “backstage agreement” by “demanding concessions” from Washington, according to the newspaper, relying on the analysis of an Iranian security expert. The other option for Tehran would instead be to “display the captured pilot” “in front of the cameras for propaganda purposes.” One thing is certain: both outcomes would be catastrophic for the White House, which prefers not to take any risks and is determined to find the soldier.
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