TEHRAN/JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON/DUBAI – Iran has rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.

The proposal was delivered to Iran through a "friendly" country on Thursday, Fars quoted an informed source as saying.

The source added that Washington has stepped up its diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire, particularly after an Iranian strike targeted a US "military forces depot" on Kuwait's Bubiyan Island.

According to Fars, assessments suggest that the proposal was put forward following an intensification of the crisis in the region and "serious problems" for US forces resulting from their country's "miscalculation" of Iran's military capabilities.

The report added that Iran's response to the offer was not given in writing, but through the continuation of attacks in the battlefield.

On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US assets in the Middle East.

US warplanes downed

The Iranian army confirmed that its air defense systems shot down a US A-10 "Warthog" attack plane on Friday over Iran's southern waters near the Strait of Hormuz, with the aircraft crashing into the Persian Gulf.

The announcement, published on the army's website, came shortly after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said that it had downed a US F-35 fighter jet in central Iranian airspace earlier in the day.

Later Friday, Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that a US Black Hawk helicopter was also hit by a projectile in Iranian airspace while searching for the pilot of the downed US fighter jet.

The US has not officially commented on Iran's claim yet.

Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 News and other Israeli media outlets on Friday reported that the pilot of the US fighter jet that was shot down in Iranian airspace was safely rescued. The fate of the navigator who was on the jet was unknown, the outlets added.

The channel also reported that the Israeli military has canceled strikes in the area in Iran, where searches are being conducted for the navigator, citing a senior Israeli official.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that Israel is assisting the US with intelligence in locating the jet's crew.

On Friday, US officials confirmed that two US rescue helicopters involved in the search and rescue efforts for an F-15 fighter jet downed earlier on Friday were struck by Iranian fire, according to US media reports.

Crew members aboard the helicopters were unharmed, said an NBC News report, citing a US official.

Meanwhile, a second Air Force combat plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, and the lone pilot was safely rescued, The New York Times reported, citing two US officials.

The officials said the A-10 Warthog attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz about the same time that the Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran. One crew member was rescued and search-and-rescue operators are looking for the second airman.

365 US troops wounded

As many as 365 US troops have been wounded in action as of Friday since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb 28, according to an online update from the Pentagon. Of those injured, 247 were Army soldiers, 63 Navy sailors, 19 Marines and 36 Air Force airmen.

The death toll remains at 13, with seven being hostile deaths, six killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait, and one dead after being wounded in Saudi Arabia.

It's not clear if the figure includes any crew members aboard US warplanes downed or struck by Iranian forces on Friday. 

‘70% of Iran steel production capacity destroyed’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the Israeli air force has destroyed 70 percent of Iran's steel production capacity.

Speaking at a situation assessment with Defense Minister Israel Katz, army chief Eyal Zamir, and other senior officers in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said, "This is a tremendous achievement that deprives the IRGC (Islamic Revolution Guard Corps) of both funding sources and the ability to produce large quantities of weapons."

Together with the US, Israel will continue "eliminating commanders, and bombing bridges and infrastructure”, he said.

Iranian attacks key UAE aluminum producer

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said on Friday that its Al Taweelah site, one of the world's largest aluminium production complexes, sustained significant damage from recent Iranian missile and drone attacks, forcing the facility to halt operations.

The company said the site, located in the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was affected by the attacks launched from Iran on March 28, with injuries reported.

According to EGA, the complex, including the smelter and casthouse, power plant, Al Taweelah alumina refinery and Al Taweelah recycling plant, was fully evacuated, and the facilities were placed in emergency shutdown.

The company said early assessments indicate that a full recovery of primary aluminium production could take up to 12 months.

The Al Taweelah smelter produced about 1.6 million tonnes of cast metal in 2025, according to EGA.