A US fighter jet has been shot down over Iran and a search and rescue operation is underway for any survivors, a US official has told Reuters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details.
The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The prospect of US pilots being alive and on the run inside Iran during an ongoing conflict greatly raises the stakes for the United States in the conflict.
Iranian media reported earlier on Friday that a US pilot or pilots had ejected over southwestern Iran.
The television channel in Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said police wanted Iranians to hand over any downed pilots alive to security agencies to "receive a precious prize".
Iranian state media soon after shared images online of what appeared to be US aircraft flying over the area including helicopters, planes and drones.
The channel showed metal debris in the back of a pick-up truck while making the announcement but provided no other immediate details.
The province is mainly home to Iran's Lur people, many of whom are farmers.
The extreme south of the province is the start of Iran's oil fields in the area.
A major explosion from an air strike struck Iran's capital Tehran at about the same time on Friday afternoon.
It was not clear what had been hit.
Earlier on Friday, Iranian missiles damaged a desalination plant and set alight a refinery in Kuwait.
The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp said firefighters were working to control several blazes at the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery.
with AP