President Trump on Saturday warned Iran of dire consequences if the Middle Eastern country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz or agree to a ceasefire deal within 48 hours. “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!”
The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for oil, was closed by Iran in retaliation for the recent U.S.-Israeli attacks. The closure has unsettled the global energy market.
His latest statement reiterates a warning given by Trump on March 26, in which he stated that he would postpone attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure by an additional 10 days in hopes of reaching a deal.
Last weekend, Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum, promising to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the country did not reopen this vital maritime chokepoint. This latest development follows Iran’s downing of two U.S. planes on Friday. All pilots and airmen from the aircraft have been rescued, the president announced late Saturday evening.
Trump dropped another warning to Iran after the last airman was rescued, sprinkled with colorful language: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F**kin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
Earlier, the president and commander-in-chief updated the country on the rescue of the remaining downed airman, a weapons officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter:
WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND! This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue. At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory. WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies. This is a moment that ALL Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else, should be proud of and united around. We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World. GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!
Mick Ryan, senior fellow for military studies at the Lowy Institute and a retired major general in the Australian Army, told CNN of the rescue mission, “US Air Force, US Army Special Forces, and a range of other organizations would have been coming together, doing crash planning and coming up with a range of different options to rescue both these crew members.” He added: “No one in the world could really pull this off like the US military has.”