WASHINGTON — President Trump on Sunday made new, expletive-laden threats to escalate strikes on Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, after American forces rescued an aviator whose Iran-downed plane fell behind enemy lines.
A defiant Iran showed no sign of backing down, striking infrastructure targets in neighboring gulf Arab countries and challenging the U.S. account of the rescue.
In an Easter Sunday post underscoring his upcoming deadline, Trump wrote: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump has issued such deadlines before but extended them when mediators have claimed progress toward ending the war, which has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices in just over five weeks.
Both sides have threatened and hit civilian targets like oil fields and desalination plants critical for drinking water, bringing warnings of possible war crimes.
“Iranian civilians will be the first to suffer from the destruction of power plants and bridges,” Amnesty International head Agnes Callamard said on social media, calling Trump’s threat “revolting.”
U.S. describes a dramatic rescue
The rescue of the U.S. aviator followed an intense search after Friday’s crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, while Iran promised a reward for anyone who turned in an “enemy pilot.”
Trump said that the service member was “seriously wounded and really brave” and rescued from “deep inside the mountains.” He said a second crew member was rescued in “broad daylight” within hours of the crash.
A senior U.S. administration official said that prior to locating the pilot, the CIA spread word inside Iran that U.S. forces had found him and were moving him on the ground for exfiltration, confusing Iranian officials. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
The fighter jet was the first known American aircraft to crash in Iranian territory since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran also shot down another U.S. military plane, demonstrating the perils of the bombing campaign and the ability of Iran’s degraded military to hit back. Neither the status of the U.S. A-10 attack aircraft’s crew nor where it crashed is known. Initial reporting after the Friday crash, however, had indicated the lone U.S. aviator had been rescued.
On Sunday, Iran’s state television aired a video showing what it claimed were parts of U.S. aircraft shot down by Iranian forces, along with a photo of thick, black smoke rising. The broadcaster said that Iran had shot down a transport plane and two helicopters that were part of the rescue operation.
However, a regional intelligence official briefed on the mission told the Associated Press that the U.S. military blew up two transport planes because of a technical malfunction and brought in additional aircraft to complete the rescue. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert mission.
Iran’s military joint command, which said that four U.S. aircraft were destroyed during the operation, warned of stepping up retaliatory attacks on regional oil and civilian infrastructure if the U.S. and Israel attack such targets in the Islamic Republic, according to state television.
“We once again repeat: if you commit aggression again and strike civilian facilities, our responses will be more forceful,” a spokesman said in comments published by the IRNA news agency.
The laws of armed conflict allow attacks on civilian infrastructure only if the military advantage outweighs the civilian harm, legal scholars say. It’s considered a high bar to clear, and causing excessive suffering to civilians can constitute a war crime.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Trump’s deadline of 9 p.m. EDT Monday — Tuesday in Iran — centers on growing alarm over Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, critical for shipments of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf to Europe and Asia. It’s also key for delivering humanitarian supplies. Some ships have paid Iran for passage.
Diplomatic efforts continued.
Oman’s Foreign Ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss proposals to ensure “smooth transit” through the strait. Oman has often served as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran.
Egypt said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken by phone with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as with Turkish and Pakistani counterparts who are helping to mediate.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had conveyed to Araghchi that Islamabad supports “all efforts aimed at de-escalation.” Islamabad has said that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran.
An escalation, however, could see Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen resuming attacks on vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a key waterway to and from the Suez Canal.
Iran attacks Gulf infrastructure and economic targets
In Kuwait, Iranian drone attacks caused significant damage to power plants and a petrochemical plant. They also put a water desalination station out of service, according to the Ministry of Electricity.
In Bahrain, a drone attack caused a fire at one of the national oil company’s storage facilities and a state-run petrochemical plant, the kingdom’s official news agency said.
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities responded to fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais that they said were caused by intercepted debris, halting operations.
The strikes came a day after Israel struck a major petrochemical plant in Iran that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said generated revenue used to fund the war.
The petrochemical industry converts oil and gas into products like plastics and fertilizer.
Meanwhile, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began.
In gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service members have been killed. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have died there.
Lee, Toropin, Metz and Magdy write for the Associated Press. Sam Metz reported from Jerusalem and Samy Magdy from Cairo. Jon Gambrell in Dubai and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
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