Ahead of the Tuesday deadline for bombing Iranian energy and infrastructure, US President Donald Trump on Monday said Iran could be “taken out” in a single night and suggested that such an operation “might” happen as soon as Tuesday evening, escalating rhetoric as tensions deepen.
"The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump told reporters during a press conference at White House.
The US President's remarks come hours after Iran rejected a US ceasefire proposal, sending its response through Pakistan, according to state media. Instead of a temporary truce, Tehran has laid out a 10-point framework that calls for a permanent end to the war, including in Lebanon and Gaza, with guarantees that fighting will not resume.
The proposal also demands recognition of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions, formal acceptance of its nuclear rights under the NPT, and compensation for the economic damage caused by the conflict, to which, Trump said Tehran is seeking a ceasefire because it is "getting obliterated," adding that he has given the Iranians opportunities to end the war, but "they haven't taken them."
"The only one that is going to set a ceasefire is me," he said. "I haven't set any ceasefire."
Trump detailed a high-risk US rescue operation inside Iran following the crash of an F-15 aircraft, in which two airmen ejected and landed "deep in enemy territory." Trump said the initial mission involved 21 aircraft flying under "very, very heavy enemy fire," with one helicopter returning riddled with bullets.
"A risky decision because we could have ended up with 100 dead as opposed to 1 or 2," Trump said, describing the operation as one of the most dangerous undertaken in recent years.
According to the US President, the second phase of the rescue escalated significantly, involving 155 aircraft -- including bombers, fighter jets, refuelling tankers and rescue units -- operating over Iranian territory for hours, at times in broad daylight.
"A lot of the aircraft were subterfuge," Trump said, noting that forces used multiple decoy routes. "Seven different locations where they thought we were looking for him."
He also described the survival efforts of one downed crew member, who he said climbed through mountainous terrain while injured. "He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, treated his own wounds and contacted American forces," Trump said. The airman was later extracted by helicopter. "It’s crazy that nobody was even injured," Trump added, referring to the broader rescue effort.
Iran’s attacks across Israel and the Gulf show no signs of slowing, with strikes reported on key infrastructure including power facilities, water desalination plants and oil sites in Kuwait, along with an oil facility targeted in Bahrain.
In response, Israel struck a major petrochemical facility at Iran’s South Pars gas complex in Asaluyeh, targeting what it sees as a critical source of revenue for Tehran. The Israeli military also carried out fresh strikes on Hezbollah-linked targets across southern Lebanon.
Source: ANI
