Pete Hegseth reportedly met the two officers ‘privately’ and asked them if they wanted to participate rather than forcing their cooperation.

Updated on: Sep 13, 2026, 22:26:37 IST

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A US airman, who survived for nearly 50 hours in Iran after having ejected from his aircraft during the war in the Middle East, is set to appear on CBS's ‘60 Minutes’ programme early on Monday. This comes after US defense secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly pushed him and his fellow airman to participate in the show.

The two airmen, who survived the rugged terrain and evaded the Iranian forces, were reluctant, but were asked by Hegseth to participate in the show, CNN reported, citing sources.

The report quoted several sources as saying that the airmen initially expressed reservations about doing the interview as military officials also had apprehensions about revealing classified details of the rescue effort.

Political appointees in Hegseth’s office were adamant that both crew members sit for interviews, the CNN report added as it cited anonymous sources.

Hegseth reportedly met the two officers ‘privately’ and asked them if they wanted to participate rather than forcing their cooperation . Following the meeting, one of the two officers agreed for the interview, while other turned it down.

The US jet that was shot down and the dramatic rescue

In April, when the war was just over a month-old and ceasefire was days away, a fighter jet of the United States military, a two-seater F-15E Strike Eagle, went down over Iran and both crew members ejected. The pilot was found within hours. The weapons systems officer (WSO) was found 48 hours later.

The rescued officer, who was identified as colonel by President Donald Trump, had reportedly landed somewhere in mountainous terrain in a part of Iran. The colonel, with a handgun, a beacon, and a secure communications device besides survival ration supplies, spent the next two days, evading the Iranian forces . The Iranian government had put out a public call for citizens to help locate the "enemy pilot" and offered a reward.

As Trump announced the rescue, he said the colonel had been stranded in hostile terrain and closely pursued.

“At my direction, the US Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” he said, adding that he “was never truly alone”.

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