Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office aggressively pursued interviews with the two crew members of an F-15 that was shot down over Iran in April, according to a report by CNN, which cited multiple sources.

Hegseth reportedly played a direct role in the effort, meeting privately with both airmen to gauge their interest in appearing on CBS's "60 Minutes." While one airman expressed initial reservations about being ordered to participate, sources told CNN that Hegseth's personal outreach aimed to secure their cooperation.

Concerns were raised among military officials that the "60 Minutes" interview could potentially reveal classified details about the rescue operation. Despite these worries, unnamed political appointees within Hegseth's office were reportedly insistent that both crew members participate in the interview.

Ultimately, one of the airmen agreed to the interview after meeting with Hegseth. The other reportedly declined.

The interview with the weapon systems officer, identified only as "Bravo," who spent two days injured and evading Iranian forces after ejecting from the aircraft, is set to air on Sunday. A Tuesday press release had described the interview as the colonel's "first public account of what happened."

The interview with the unnamed weapon systems officer, who spent two days injured behind enemy lines back in April, airs on Sunday

The weapon systems officer recounted the moments after being hit by an Iranian weapon and ejecting, describing landing at high speed. His pilot, identified as "Alpha," was rescued within hours, while "Bravo" had to hide for two days in a mountain crevice with only a handgun before his rescue.

The ejected seat from the US aircraft is pictured. The airman hid in a mountain crevice for nearly 50 hours with nothing but a handgun to protect himself before he was rescued

The CNN report also noted that multiple news outlets, including CNN, pursued interviews with the pilots following the incident. Hegseth and his staff were reportedly eager to "broadcast a dramatic retelling of the incident with both crew members." The upcoming "60 Minutes" episode will also feature interviews with Hegseth and U.S. Central Command head Brad Cooper.

Sources told the network Hegseth 'met privately with [both airmen] and asked whether they wanted to participate rather than forcing their cooperation' after each initially expressed reservations about doing the interview, with only one ultimately accepting

In response to the report, the Pentagon vehemently denied the claims. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the decision to participate in the interview was solely the pilots' and that the department took measures to protect operational security. Parnell called the CNN report a "complete lie" and suggested that questioning the integrity of the interview process would "denigrate every member of our military who participated in and supported the interview."