The pilot survived for more than 24 hours, hiding in the Iranian mountains and awaiting a rescue operation that was immediately organized.
According to the U.S. president, 200 special forces members participated in the operation.
"Iran shot down the plane with a shoulder-fired missile. They had incredible luck," Trump said.
He further stated that thousands of Iranians were searching for the pilot and offered a reward if they could find him.
Trump said the U.S. military had certain information about the officer's location. But after a radio message, officials suspected he might be in Iranian captivity and that the Iranians were sending false signals to try to lure U.S. forces into a trap.
He said the weapons systems officer sent a short, unusual message over the radio after ejecting from the plane, and he initially believed Iran was trying to deceive the U.S.
"He said, 'Praise God,'" Trump told Axios, while a U.S. defense official clarified that the exact phrase was "God is good."
"What he said over the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say. People who knew the officer explained that he is a religious person, and it made sense for him to say that," Trump said.
Trump added that the Israeli military "helped a little" the U.S. military during the search and rescue operation for both crew members.
"They were good partners. They were brave and brilliant people. We are like the older brother and younger brother," Trump said.
A U.S. defense official said the Israelis did not provide information about the exact location of the weapons systems officer but shared intelligence data on the overall situation on the ground.