Trump Says Downed Fighter Jet Won’t Impact Negotiations With Iran: ‘It’s War’

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

President Donald Trump reportedly said Friday that the downed U.S. fighter jet and ongoing search for an American crew member in Iran will not impact negotiations with Iran, because “We’re in war.”

The F-15 was shot down on Friday over Iran, and one crew member was successfully rescued, while the other remains missing.

Garrett Haake reported on NBC News’s Live Blog Friday afternoon, “In a brief phone interview, President Trump refused to discuss the specifics of ongoing search and rescue efforts in Iran after an American jet was downed.”

“But he expressed frustration about some of the coverage of what is plainly an intense and sensitive military operation,” Haake wrote. “Asked if today’s events will affect any negotiations with Iran, the president said it would not. ‘No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war, Garrett.'”

Trump also posted to Truth Social as the search continued for the American pilot who ejected more than 15 hours ago, “KEEP THE OIL, ANYONE?”

It was Trump’s second Truth Social post of the day on Iran’s oil.

Earlier, the president wrote, “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???”

Trump has been pressuring countries that rely on the Strait of Hormuz for the majority of their oil to retake the strait from Iran, which has been blocking shipments with mines and missile strikes.

Trump has sent mixed messages over the Strait, saying he might be willing to end the war without reopening it.

In his primetime address to Americans on Wednesday, Trump claimed, “When the conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally,” while also telling NATO countries to  “take care” of it, saying, “They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily.”

Some 20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

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