A US military pilot has been found in Iran after a search-and-rescue mission. Soon after, US President Donald Trump issued a threat to Iranian infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed in a profanity-laden social media post.
A US military pilot who had been missing after his plane was shot down in Iran was rescued early on Sunday. A few hours after the rescue was announced, US President Donald Trump issued an expletive-laden threat to Iran's power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened on Monday.
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Having issued a 48-hour ultimatum on Saturday, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it."
"Open the fucking strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell - just watch," he continued, adding: "Praise be to Allah."
Though Trump's social media posts often incendiary and occasionally contain profanity, combining it with mention of Allah is likely to cause additional anger in the Muslim world.
Search-and-rescue mission succeeds
A frantic US search-and-rescue operation unfolded after the crash of the F-15E Strike Eaglejet on Friday, as Iran also promised a reward for anyone who turned in the “enemy pilot.”
“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,” Trump wrote after the rescue, adding later that he was "seriously wounded".
The rescue involved “dozens of aircraft”, according to Trump, and the US had been monitoring his location “24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.”
The fighter jet was the first US aircraft to have crashed in Iranian territory since the conflict began in late February.
A second crew member had already been rescued on Friday.
Drones hit Gulf infrastructure
In Kuwait, an Iranian drone attack caused significant damage to two power plants and put a water desalination station out of service, according to the Ministry of Electricity. No injuries were reported from the attack, the country's ministry said.
In Bahrain, the national oil company said that a drone attack caused a fire at one of its storage facilities, which was extinguished. It said the damage was still being assessed and no injuries had been reported.
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities said that Khor Fakkan, a key port in the Gulf of Oman, had been targeted by Iran. No injuries were reported.
Trump's repeated threats
Trump had already threatened Iran with "hell" in a separate social media post on Saturday unless it opened the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy shipments that has been choked off by Tehran. He provided an ultimatum for it to be reopened by Monday: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait. Time is running out — 48 hours before all hell will reign down on them.”
“The doors of hell will be opened to you” if Iran’s infrastructure is attacked, Iranian General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, of the country’s joint military command, said late Saturday in response. He threatened all infrastructure used by the US military in the region in response.
Separately, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told The Associated Press that his government’s efforts to broker a ceasefire are “right on track” after Islamabad last week said that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that Iranian officials “have never refused to go to Islamabad.”
Mediators from Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt were working to bring the US and Iran to the negotiating table, according to two regional officials.
At the time of writing, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began. 13 US service members have been killed
In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced after Israeli troops invaded the south of the country. Ten Israeli soldiers died during those operations.