A US warplane was shot down over Iran on Friday, with Iranian state media reporting the aircraft was brought down by the country's air defence systems. One of the two crew members was rescued by US special forces, according to US media reports. Iranian authorities launched a search in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, where footage aired on local television showed wreckage believed to be from the downed jet. A local official broadcaster offered a bounty for the capture and handover of any surviving pilot, promising a "valuable reward" to civilians who assist. The incident occurred amid escalating strikes across the Middle East, including in Israel, Lebanon, and Gulf nations, with large explosions reported in northern Tehran.
Israel confirmed launching strikes in Tehran and Beirut, while Iran fired missiles targeting Israel. In Karaj, west of Tehran, residential buildings and a villa had blown-out windows from nearby blasts, though no military installations were visible. Alborz province's deputy governor said eight civilians were killed and 95 injured in the area. US Central Command did not comment on the downed aircraft. Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged a peace deal in Foreign Affairs, proposing nuclear limits and reopening the Strait of Hormuz for sanctions relief. Since the war began, traffic through the strait has dropped 94 per cent, with most remaining ships linked to Iran. The French-owned CMA CGM vessel Kribi made the first major European transit since March 1. Trump, in a Truth Social post, threatened further destruction of Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants. About 70 per cent of Iran's steel capacity has been disabled, Israel claimed. In Abu Dhabi, Emirates Global Aluminium said it may take a year to restore full operations after Iranian strikes. A drone attack hit a Kuwaiti refinery on Friday, igniting fires. The White House proposed a $1.5 trillion defence budget, a 42 per cent increase, the largest since World War II.
Trump's call to destroy Iran's power plants and bridges signals a shift toward targeting civilian infrastructure, not just military assets. The $1.5 trillion US defence budget request reflects a war economy now driving policy, with global trade already reeling from a 94 per cent drop in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. For Nigerians, this means prolonged fuel and food price pressures as energy markets remain unstable. Zarif's plea for diplomacy stands in stark contrast to the momentum toward total war, but without US buy-in, it changes nothing.
