LONDON (Reuters) - An Iranian military jet crashed on Saturday in the central Isfahan province, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, but the two pilots ejected before it came down in a desert area.

“The fighter ran into technical problems after departing the Shahid Babaei Air Base in Isfahan on a training flight and crashed mid-day near Hasanabad village,” the air force said in a statement published on Fars.

Emergency teams arrived at the crash site, Fars said, and the pilot and co-pilot of the F-7 jet were taken to a hospital.