US airman shot down in Iran rescued from mountain crevice; when fake sci-fi film Argo helped diplomats escape

OFficials reveal that even out as chairman Donald ruff was thought-provoking persia on Truth Social over the weekend, US military troops and the CIA were planning the rescue operation of an airman who was shot down in Iran. In what seems like something out of a movie, the officials even managed to pull it off and rescue the officer from a mountain crevice. Looking back at when a fake sci-fi film named Argo was used as a cover story for a US operation in Iran.US airman shot down in Iran rescuedThe NY Times detailed the daring operation by military troops and the CIA to rescue an airman after two of them ejected from their fighter jet seconds after being hit. The plane’s pilot was rescued six hours later, but the aircraft’s weapons officer was missing. He had hiked up a 7000-foot ridgeline and wedged himself into a crevice to shield himself from attack. When US officials got a lock on his location via a beacon he was carrying, Trump was alerted. Iran launched several search parties and announced rewards to find the airman, even as the US officials raced against time. What followed was a decoy to Iran about the airman as 100 Special Operations forces, led by elements of SEAL Team 6, Delta Force commandos and Army Rangers on standby, apart from helicopters, surveillance planes, fighters and aerial tankers led the rescue, with Israeli officials also gathering intelligence. The rescue has now been described as one of the ‘most challenging and complex’ in US history.In a final twist, the two C-130 aircraft that were supposed to carry them out of danger got stuck in the sand at the airstrip. Three replacement aircraft were sent in, and the two disabled planes were bombed to ensure they don’t fall into Iranian hands. After announcing the rescue, it was business as usual as Trump issued a profane message against Iran’s leaders on social media. According to AFP, Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that the operation to rescue a downed airman may have been a cover to "steal enriched uranium" from the Islamic Republic.From fake sci-fi to real spy film, ArgoIn 1979, Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Iran, and 66 Americans were held hostage in a 444-day standoff. Six US diplomats managed to escape and went hiding into the homes of Canadian embassy officers. CIA officer Tony Mendez then hatched a plan to convince Iran and the world that the six diplomats were just a film crew from Hollywood. John Chambers, a Hollywood makeup artist known for his work on Planet of the Apes, helped him. Tony even set up a phoney production company in Los Angeles to pull this off. When the Canadians agreed to help them with fake passports, two CIA officers, including Tony, flew to Tehran, helped the six with their new cover stories, and boarded a Swissair flight to Zurich. They managed to convince Iranian officials that they were there to scout locations for a sci-fi film, Argo. The truth of his operation remained a secret for many years till 1997.In 2012, Ben Affleck produced, directed and acted in the film Argo, based on the 1999 memoir The Master of Disguise by CIA operative Tony Mendez and the 2007 Wired article The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran. When the film based on the rescue mission was released, it won three Oscars, including Best Picture, and two Golden Globes. Argo can be streamed on JioHotstar in India and is available for rent on Prime Video for ₹119.