UPDATE 1-Iran launches rescue after military plane crashes

An Iranian MiG-29 fighter jet crashed in the northwest of the country on Wednesday, prompting a rescue operation for the pilot, state media quoted Iran's armed forces as saying.

The military said in a statement that rescue teams were sent to the remote mountainous area but that they faced bad weather and snow-covered terrain, the state broadcaster IRIB reported. Earlier reports by local news agencies said the plane had two pilots who were both killed.