US special forces entered Iran on Friday night to rescue a crew member of a downed F-15 fighter jet, The Telegraph reported. 

The U.S. government has yet to report on such an operation.

Two crew members ejected in the shoot-down, reports suggested, triggering a race between Iran and the US to find the stranded American airmen.

One was rescued in an operation involving two US military helicopters and low-flying refuelling aircraft, which were targeted by light weaponry.

Iranian broadcasts offered a $60,000 bounty for the capture of the other airman. 

Although Iran claimed it had downed a newer F-35 aircraft, analysts reported that images of the wreckage, including an ejection seat, are consistent with an F-15.

India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has thanked Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for facilitating the evacuation of Indian nationals from neighboring Iran.

“Thank FM Ararat Mirzoyan and the Government of Armenia for facilitating the evacuation of Indian fishermen today from Iran, through Armenia to India,” Jaishankar said on X.

Earlier in March, Jaishankar again expressed gratitude to Armenia for facilitating evacuations. At that time, more than 550 Indian nationals had been evacuated from Iran via Armenia.

Since the outbreak of the war in Iran on Feb. 28, citizens of dozens of countries have been evacuated through Armenia.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister and member of the Civil Contract party’s board, Ararat Mirzoyan, said at the party congress on Saturday that during the most difficult trials, the people stood by the ruling party and upheld democracy, the country’s sovereignty, and later also peace.

He thanked party delegates for shaping a leadership that, “led by Nikol Pashinyan, will continue to seek a mandate to govern the country and assume responsibility for administering a homeland with an area of 29,743 square kilometers.”

“Recently, I was discussing the ongoing processes in our country with several friends who are not members of Civil Contract, and we were drawing parallels between April 2026 and April 2018. We recalled some of my remarks addressed to tens of thousands of citizens in Republic Square. On that day, when the victory of the people’s, non-violent Velvet Revolution had already become tangible, I told the people that this was not the end of the process or the struggle, because there were forces that would try to take away the people’s achievements and that victory. I assured them that those who assumed leadership during the revolution, just as they stood on the front line of the struggle then, would continue to do so. But I also had a request—an appeal—to our citizens: I urged them not to abandon us in the next stages of the struggle, but to stand by our side,” Mirzoyan said.

The minister noted that what followed was both anticipated and, at the same time, difficult to foresee.

“There were extremely difficult trials, during which the citizens of Armenia did not abandon us and stood by democracy, the country’s sovereignty, and later also peace. Much will still be said about this, but there is another side to the story. During those severe trials, we did not abandon the citizens of Armenia either. We wavered under the blows, we were wounded, but we remained standing—we did not flee, we did not abandon our share of the front line. By the mandate of our people, we led them toward sovereignty, peace, and democracy,” Mirzoyan said.

The minister added that throughout this process, what they had years earlier called the “Civil Contract” took shape, materialized, and was strengthened.

“This was the contract that was concluded, embodied, and put into practice between us and the citizens—between everyone, and even between any two individual citizens. Today, we can say that during those trials, all parties to the contract fulfilled their obligations with honor. I see that the citizens of Armenia have not finished their work, and they see that we, too, have not completed ours—the mandate they entrusted to us, for which they have paid a high price and continue to pay. Therefore, we must continue to implement our shared contract together, move forward together, and stand by our democracy, peace, and sovereignty,” Ararat Mirzoyan concluded.

Prime Minister and Civil Contract party leader Nikol Pashinyan said at the party congress on Saturday that, for the first time ever, the people have become the authors of policies and strategies since 2021.

In his speech, he accused former governments of neglecting the people.

“Previously, no one wanted to listen to the people because it was assumed that they were not ‘worldly’ enough. This continues today, as some political forces participating in the process say whatever they want about the people and still take part in elections. But this is the height of political ignorance. It is obvious to me that in the June 7, 2026 elections, the tripartite war party will once again meet the wall of the people,” said Pashinyan, referring to the parties led by former President Robert Kocharyan and business tycoons Samvel Karapetyan and Gagik Tsarukyan, whom he has accused of being a “tripartite war party.”

He noted that his administration’s 2021 program was exceptional in that it revealed the clash between historical phases and historical processes.

“One of these was the clash between the internal impulses of the people and the historical role imposed on us by geopolitical traps. On this point, I still feel it necessary to recall my dialogue with the late Pope Francis during my visit to the Vatican in November 2024. The Pope said that he recognized us as a martyred people. But I replied that my mission—and that of our government—is to ensure that we are no longer a martyred people and to change our historical destiny. We will simply live and build a state. And this is precisely where Civil Contract has a historic mission—to lead the people of Armenia toward a normal, prosperous, free, sovereign, and state-centered life,” Pashinyan said.

Former President Serzh Sargsyan said his Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) has decided to opt out of the 2026 parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7 in order to avoid “dividing the opposition arena” even more.

Sargsyan, the HHK chairman, made the comments at his party’s 18th congress.

He admitted that not everyone within his party was in favor of skipping the elections.

“I know that, with proper work, we could have surpassed the four percent threshold required for the party [to enter parliament]. But I also know another truth, which I reaffirm from this podium. I assure you and our people that even by not participating—more precisely, by not directly participating in these elections—the HHK will continue to be at the center of political developments as one of the vanguards of the struggle,” he said.

Sargsyan said the Republicans will skip the elections to avoid “further dividing the opposition arena” and to give all forces, including those who see the former authorities as obstacles, the opportunity to fulfill their promises for change.

He added: “The HHK made this decision to set an example of subordinating individual ‘selves,’ intra-party interests, and political calculations to collective success. The decision not to participate directly in the elections is also largely based on meticulous sociological research, which shows that our supporters, almost without exception, are prepared to go to the polls and vote only for opposition parties. In other words, our voters’ voices will not be lost but will join those of opposition voters, contributing to the prevention of this government’s re-election.”

Sargsyan emphasized: “Our ego, tempered by life and struggle, has never turned—and will never turn—into selfishness. This decision was not easy, but I have no doubt that we will never be ashamed of it. On the contrary, we will become the best example in Armenia’s contemporary political history of acting ‘With My Party, But For My Nation.’”