US President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Iran on Sunday (April 5th), threatening to destroy its power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening.
“If they don’t pass, if they want to keep it closed, they’re going to lose every power plant and every other power plant they have across the country,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal.
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Pressed on the potential duration of the conflict, Trump said: “I’ll let you know soon. But we’re in a position that’s very strong, and it’s going to take that country 20 years to recover, if they’re lucky, if they have the country.”
Civilian infrastructure threatened
Trump’s comments hinted at large-scale strikes targeting Iran’s civilian infrastructure, although the president claimed that Iranian citizens “want us to do this” because they are “living in hell.”
Details of the rescue of American airmen
Trump has provided new details about the dramatic rescue of two US airmen whose F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran. The first airman was rescued quietly so as not to endanger the second, who was injured and sought refuge in a mountain crevasse.
“We didn’t play on the first because then they would find out about the second,” Trump said. “It’s not normally done. When airmen go down, you don’t get them in very rough countries.”
The rescue operation involved a CIA deception campaign that spread word in Iran that the first airman had been located and relocated, buying time to retrieve the second.
Timing and tactical details
Trump noted that the two pilots landed seconds apart but were separated by “many miles” due to the speed of the plane in the evacuation. He praised the US forces involved: “They were out there looking for him, soldiers were everywhere … a lot of great things happened.”
Asked whether China or Russia helped Iran shoot down the F-15, Trump said, “Maybe yes, maybe not,” declining to give a definitive answer.
A deadline that Iran has set for itself
Trump’s latest threat comes as Iran nears its earlier 10-day deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which was due to end on Monday. on sunday afternoon Trump boosted the timeline in a social media post: “Tuesday, 8pm EST!”
