Trump threatened to escalate strikes on Iranian infrastructure unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened by Tuesday, following the successful rescue of two downed US aviators.
U.S. President Donald 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 had fallen behind enemy lines, News.Az reports, citing Associated Press.
A defiant Iran showed no sign of backing down, striking economic and infrastructure targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries and challenging the U.S. account of the rescue.
In a social media post, Trump promised strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges. He vowed the “crazy bastards” would be “living in Hell” if the strait, a crucial waterway for global trade, isn’t opened to marine traffic by Tuesday. He ended with “Praise be to Allah.”
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.
The rescue of the US airman followed an intense search after Friday’s crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, while Iran had 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” in Iran.
Trump said a second crew member was rescued in “broad daylight” within hours of the crash. 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.