Report: 2 Iranian pilots killed in F-5 Phantom fighter crash near Iraq border

TEHRAN, Iran – A news agency reports an Iranian F-5 fighter jet has crashed near the Iraqi border, killing two pilots.

The fighter crashed in highlands after it took off from a military air base in Dezful, 460 kilometers (280 miles) southwest of the capital, Tehran, according to a report by the semi-official Mehr news agency. It cited Morad Nasseri, governor of the nearby Abdanan region.

Nasseri said two pilots were killed in the crash. He said investigators arrived on the scene.

Iran's air force has an assortment of U.S.-made military aircraft, including F-5 Phantoms, purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It has also Russian-made MiG and Sukhoi planes.