New Delhi, April 6 -- A US special forces mission to recover the crew of a downed F-15 fighter jet in Iran unfolded under acute suspicion that Tehran may have been attempting to lure American troops into a trap, President Donald Trump told Axios.

The episode, involving a wounded US F-15 crew member stranded in mountainous terrain of Iran for over a day, underscores the volatility surrounding US-Iran hostilities and the heightened caution guiding military decision-making in contested environments.

According to Axios report quoting Donald Trump, US officials initially feared that a radio message received from the stranded weapons system officer could have been manipulated by Iranian forces attempting to draw American units into an ambush....