Trump escalates threat to hit Iranian power plants after US rescues downed airman

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Sunday (Apr 5) escalated his threats to bomb Iranian power plants within the next two days and taunted the country’s leaders in an expletive-laden social media post.

Trump, seemingly emboldened by the successful US rescue of an American airman in Iran over the weekend, issued a new ultimatum to Iran to end its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, a major Persian Gulf waterway for the transport of oil and gas, by Monday.

If Iran’s government did not, he said, US forces would target the country’s energy infrastructure, which supplies power for millions of civilians.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Trump wrote on social media.

The president has previously postponed his deadline to attack twice and the Omani Foreign Ministry said officials had discussed how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian counterparts without reaching a definitive agreement.

Iran has threatened to retaliate by intensifying its attacks on critical infrastructure in Israel and Arab states that are allied with the US. An escalation could further derail the lives of civilians throughout the region and add to worries about the global economy, which has been rattled by soaring energy prices since the start of the war.

Over the past two days, the US military has been in a race with Iranian armed forces to find the missing airman after an F-15E jet was shot down over Iran on Friday. It was the first known instance of a US combat aircraft being downed since the start of the war.

The plane’s pilot was quickly rescued. But a second officer was stranded in Iran and injured in the incident. US commandos found the airman deep inside Iranian territory under the cover of darkness.

There were no US casualties among the rescue team, Trump said on Sunday. The rescued officer had “sustained injuries, but he will be just fine”, Trump added.

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The incident underscored Iran’s ability to fight back despite weeks of attacks on its military arsenal. Another US aircraft, an A-10 Warthog attack plane, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz at about the same time, and the lone pilot was rescued, two US officials said. The Iranian military said its air defence systems had hit an A-10. The US officials did not say what caused the plane to go down.

On Sunday, Israel and a number of Gulf countries reported attempted drone and missile strikes by Iran. Kuwaiti officials said Iranian drones significantly damaged two power and water desalination plants, and sparked a fire at the Kuwait Petroleum Corp’s oil complex.

US officials had sought an off-ramp to the war with Iran by passing messages through Pakistani mediators. But Iranian officials have publicly dismissed the US demands, which would have restrained Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes. NYTIMES