TEHRAN, April 6. /TASS/. The US operation to rescue the crew members of an F-15E fighter jet downed over Iran isn’t as straightforward as it seems, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

"There still are questions and uncertainties regarding the US operation, which violated Iran's airspace. One of the airmen is believed to have been hiding in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. The location where US aircraft landed in southern Isfahan was quite far from that place, so chances are the operation was a smokescreen to cover up an attempt to steal Iran’s uranium," the country’s state broadcaster quoted him as saying.

Earlier, NBC News reported that US forces managed to rescue the missing crew member of an F-15E fighter jet downed over Iran largely through the help of a deception campaign carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).