Speaking at a White House press conference alongside Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, Trump said both crew members had since been recovered in separate operations described by officials as complex and high-risk.

According to US officials, the pilot was rescued within hours of the crash, while the second airman — described as the “back seater” — remained stranded in Iranian territory until early Sunday, when US forces carried out a recovery mission.

Trump said the administration had sought to keep details of the second missing airman confidential to prevent his capture or killing.

“We think we’ll be able to find it out,” Trump said. “Because we’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘National security. Give it up or go to jail.’”

He added that authorities would pursue those responsible for leaking the information and pressure the media outlet to identify the source.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on which organisation first reported the second missing airman.

CIA ran deception operation to confuse Iran

The US foreign intelligence service ran a deception effort to misdirect Iranian authorities looking for the crew of the fighter plane downed in the country, CIA director John Ratcliffe told reporters Monday.

“The CIA executed a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians who were desperately hunting for our airmen,” Ratcliffe said, adding one airman hid in a mountain crevice until he was rescued.