By MATTHEW LEE, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, SAM METZ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday made new, expletive-laden threats to escalate strikes on Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, after American forces rescued an aviator whose Iran-downed plane had fallen behind enemy lines.
A defiant Iran showed no sign of backing down, striking economic and infrastructure targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries and challenging the U.S. account of the rescue.
In a social media post, Trump promised strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges. He vowed the “crazy bastards” would be “living in Hell” if the strait, a crucial waterway for global trade, isn’t opened to marine traffic by Tuesday. He ended with “Praise be to Allah.”
Trump has issued such deadlines before but extended them when mediators have claimed progress toward ending the war, which has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices in just over five weeks.
Both sides have threatened and hit civilian targets like oil fields and desalination plants critical for drinking water, bringing warnings of possible war crimes.
U.S. describes a dramatic rescue
The rescue of the U.S. airman followed an intense search after Friday’s crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, while Iran had promised a reward for anyone who turned in an “enemy pilot.”
Trump said that the service member was “seriously wounded and really brave” and rescued from “deep inside the mountains” in Iran.
Trump said a second crew member was rescued in “broad daylight” within hours of the crash. The fighter jet was the first known American aircraft to crash in Iranian territory since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran also shot down another U.S. military plane, demonstrating both the perils of the bombing campaign and the ability of Iran’s degraded military to hit back. The other plane was a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft. Neither the status of the crew nor where it crashed is known.
On Sunday, Iran’s state television aired a video showing what it claimed were parts of U.S. aircraft shot down by Iranian forces, along with a photo of thick, black smoke rising. The broadcaster said that Iran had shot down a transport plane and two helicopters that were part of the rescue operation.
However, a regional intelligence official briefed on the mission told The Associated Press that the U.S. military blew up two transport planes because of a technical malfunction and brought in additional aircraft to complete the rescue. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert mission.
Iran’s military joint command on Sunday said that four U.S. aircraft were destroyed during the operation, and warned of stepping up retaliatory attacks on regional oil and civilian infrastructure if the U.S. and Israel attack such targets in the Islamic Republic, according to state television.
“We once again repeat: if you commit aggression again and strike civilian facilities, our responses will be more forceful,” a spokesman said in comments published by the IRNA news agency.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Trump’s deadline of 9 p.m. EDT Monday (0100 GMT Tuesday), centers on growing alarm over Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway is a critical choke point for commerical trade, especially oil and gas moving from the Persian Gulf to Europe and Asia, and is key to the delivery of humanitarian supplies. Disruptions have shaken markets and pushed oil and gas-importing countries to seek alternatives.
Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi with Iran’s joint military command late Saturday responded to Trump’s warnings by threatening all infrastructure used by the U.S. military in the region.
Diplomatic efforts continued, seeking to calm the situation.
Oman’s Foreign Ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss “a number of visions and proposals” to ensure “smooth transit” through the strait. Oman has often served as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran in the past.
Egypt said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken by phone with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as with Turkish and Pakistani counterparts who are helping to mediate.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had conveyed to Araghchi that Islamabad supports “all efforts aimed at de-escalation.” Last week, Islamabad said that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran.
A proposed compromise includes a cessation of hostilities to allow a diplomatic settlement, according to a regional official involved in the efforts and a Gulf diplomat briefed on the matter. The official spoke earlier on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.
An escalation, however, could see Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen resuming attacks on vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway for global traffic to and from the Suez Canal.
Iran attacks Gulf infrastructure and economic targets
In Kuwait, Iranian drone attacks caused significant damage to power plants and a petrochemical plant. They also put a water desalination station out of service, according to the Ministry of Electricity. It said that no injuries were reported.
In Bahrain, a drone attack caused a fire at one of the national oil company’s storage facilities and a state-run petrochemical plant, the kingdom’s official news agency said.
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities responded to fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais that they said were caused by intercepted debris, halting operations.
The strikes came a day after Israel struck a major petrochemical plant in Iran that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said generated revenue used to fund the war.
The petrochemical industry is a key sector in many Gulf states, converting oil and gas into products like plastics and fertilizer and bringing billions of dollars in export revenue.
Meanwhile, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began.
In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service members have been killed. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have died there.
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A previous version of this report was corrected to show that Borealis is an Austrian company, not Australian.
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Sam Metz reported from Jerusalem and Samy Magdy from Cairo. Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, contributed to this report.