Iran and the United States are engaged on Saturday in a race to find one of the two occupants of the first American plane to crash on Iranian territory since the start of the war, which has entered its sixth week.

Meanwhile, Israeli-American strikes continue in Iran, targeting in particular a petrochemical site and the Bushehr nuclear power plant, according to local media.

These new strikes come after the crash of an American plane in the southwest, a serious setback for Washington.

The Iranian military claimed to have shot down an F-15E fighter-bomber on Friday. One of the two pilots ejected in flight and was extracted during a raid by special forces; the fate of the second remains unknown, according to US media reports.

The Iranian military also claimed to have hit another American aircraft, an A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support jet, which subsequently crashed into the Gulf. The New York Times had previously reported the crash of an American plane near the Strait of Hormuz, adding that its sole pilot had been rescued unharmed.

After a long silence, the White House merely stated that President Donald Trump had "been kept informed" of the loss of an aircraft in southwestern Iran.

In an interview with NBC, he asserted that this changed "absolutely nothing" regarding the holding of possible negotiations with Tehran to find a solution to this conflict, which is shaking the global economy.

Since the start of the war, which began on February 28 with an Israeli-American offensive against Tehran, no American soldiers have been killed or captured on Iranian soil, but 13 have died in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The hostilities have resulted in thousands of deaths, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.

"To please oneself"

The F-15E was destroyed by an air defense system belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's ideological army, a military spokesman said. "Further searches are underway," he said.

The New York Times and the Washington Post say they have authenticated photos and videos, circulating on social media and in Iranian media, of American helicopters and planes flying at low altitude over the area in question.

Iranian state television broadcasters in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad region (southwest) aired images presented as those of the wreckage, promising a "generous reward" to anyone who handed over the pilot.

Houston Cantwell, a former US Air Force pilot, told AFP that during similar operations, special forces are kept permanently on alert to rescue pilots in enemy territory.

"It provides immense peace of mind to know that they will do everything they can to come and get you," he said, adding, however, "at the same time, they will not embark on a suicide mission."

According to him, the priority for a pilot finding himself in this situation is "to hide" and find the best possible place to wait for an exfiltration, such as a clearing or the roof of a building.

Targeted nuclear power plant

Meanwhile, thick gray smoke blanketed northern Tehran in the morning, its origin unknown. An AFP journalist heard several loud explosions in the area, which had been struck the previous day.

Iranian media also reported strikes against the Mahshahr petrochemical site (southwest), which injured five people, according to a local official, and again against the Bushehr nuclear power plant (south).

A security guard was killed in the area of the Bushehr power plant, whose facilities were not damaged, according to the Irna news agency.

Donald Trump had threatened to target Iranian civilian infrastructure such as power plants, even though this could expose the United States to accusations of war crimes.

West of Tehran, a massive cable-stayed bridge under construction was destroyed by bombing on Thursday. According to a report cited by the Iranian news agency IRNA, the strike killed 13 civilians and injured dozens more.

The Iranian news agency Fars published a list of "important bridges likely to be targeted by Iranian retaliation" in the Middle East. At the top of the list, at 36 km long, is the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Bridge in Kuwait, followed by the King Fahd Bridge, which connects Saudi Arabia and Bahrain over 25 km.

Damage in the Gulf

Iran says it is targeting the Gulf, which is home to American interests, in retaliation for strikes targeting its territory.

In Bahrain, falling debris from intercepted drones caused four minor injuries and material damage, while in Dubai, two buildings were damaged, including that of the American company Oracle.

The Revolutionary Guards had threatened this week to target American technology companies in the region.

In the Strait of Hormuz, which has been virtually closed by Tehran since the start of the war, a second ship belonging to a Turkish shipowner was able to pass through, Ankara indicated on Saturday.

A first Turkish ship had preceded it in this crucial maritime route for global oil supplies, "with the authorization of Iran," on March 13. A container ship from the French carrier CMA-CGM and a Japanese LNG carrier had also transited the strait on Thursday, the near-closure of which is causing a surge in global oil and gas prices.

In Israel, also a target of Iranian strikes, a person was slightly injured at dawn by shards of glass in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, according to rescue services, after an alert about Iranian missiles.