Iran Pulls Off Battlefield Surprises For US (S01E44)

badlands podcast by borzou daragahi · Apr 4, 2026 · 11m

Saturday, April 4, 2026, Istanbul

For weeks US and Israeli officials have been telling nervous domestic audiences that their war against Iran was going swimmingly. As much as 90% of Iran’s ability to fire missiles had been eroded and the country had no air defences, air force, or navy to speak of, they contended.

But on Friday, two US military aircraft were shot down by Iranian forces, including an F-15E fighter jet in which the two pilots managed to eject. One was rescued and another remains unfound, with Iranians putting up a bounty to encourage local nomadic tribes to find him.

An A-10…