WASHINGTON (VINnews) – CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Monday that Iranian officials were left “embarrassed and ultimately humiliated” by a successful U.S. rescue mission that extracted stranded American airmen from behind enemy lines in Iran.

Ratcliffe made the remarks during a White House briefing as he detailed the CIA’s role in the high-stakes operation, which involved a deception campaign to mislead Iranian forces searching for the downed personnel.

“Our intelligence reflects that the Iranians were embarrassed and ultimately humiliated by the success of this audacious rescue mission,” Ratcliffe said.

The comments came after U.S. forces rescued two airmen, including a weapons systems officer who hid in a mountain crevice following the downing of an F-15E fighter jet in Iran last week. Officials described the effort as a “no-fail mission” that combined human intelligence assets, advanced technology and deliberate misdirection to confuse Iranian search teams.

Ratcliffe credited President Donald Trump’s leadership in directing the operation, which included both human assets and “exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service in the world possesses.” He likened the challenge to “hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert.”

The rescue unfolded amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran. One airman was extracted in daylight, while the second was recovered Saturday night after evading detection.

No Americans were reported injured in the mission, which Ratcliffe described as a point of pride for U.S. forces and intelligence agencies. Iranian officials have not publicly detailed their losses or reactions to the operation.

VINnews will continue to monitor developments in the ongoing situation in the Middle East.