Heightened activity at the White House has sparked concern and speculation after President Donald Trump convened his national security team for urgent discussions. White House officials have confirmed that Trump has been receiving continuous updates throughout the day.
According to a report shared by CBS News, senior members of Trump’s national security team assembled at the White House following reports linked to a downed aircraft and ongoing search-and-rescue efforts.
A senior White House official, cited in a post by ABC White House correspondent Selina Wang on X, said the president has been working from the Oval Office and Oval Dining Room while closely monitoring developments.
Read more: French-owned ship crosses Hormuz after Macron's ‘too much talk’ dig at Trump
The national security team updates the president
The meeting of top national security officials suggests a potentially rapidly evolving situation involving a downed F-15 fighter jet in Iran and the subsequent search-and-rescue operations for the second crew member.
While details remain limited, Fox News reported that Donald Trump's national security team has gathered in the West Wing and has been updating the president on the downed US jet all day.
{{/usCountry}}While details remain limited, Fox News reported that Donald Trump's national security team has gathered in the West Wing and has been updating the president on the downed US jet all day.
{{/usCountry}}This comes as Washington officials have taken the day off to celebrate Good Friday ahead of Easter week and the long weekend. However, Fox News reported "a lot of activity" in the West Wing of the White House.
The New York Times previously reported that an Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran at roughly the same time as an A-10 Warthog assault plane went down close to the Strait of Hormuz. The NYT's sources report that the A-10 Warthog's lone pilot was successfully saved.
Read more: A-10 Warthog jet crash: Another US plane went down in Iran after F-15 crash; details emerge
“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”
Alongside his long ongoing session with the National Security team, Trump has been sharing vague updates about his stance on the war on his Truth Social.
In a post, Trump wrote, “KEEP THE OIL, ANYONE?"
In a post before that, Trump claimed that the U.S. is strong enough to defend and open the Strait of Hormuz. He wrote, "With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”
Moreover, when asked about the U.S.'s stance on if the crew member of the missing F-15 who was shot down over Iran and had to eject is hurt. Trump told the Independent, “Well, I can’t comment on it because — we hope that’s not going to happen.”