Sadiq S BhatWashington, DC — US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, declaring that American forces could “take out” the entire nation in a single night.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” he told reporters at the White House on Monday.
Trump promised strikes on Iran's civilian infrastructure if Tehran doesn't capitulate by 8 PM Eastern time (12 AM GMT) Tuesday, and very little is off limits.
Intensifying his warning to Tehran in the ongoing war, the US president said that all of Iran’s infrastructure faces destruction without a deal.
“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again, without an agreement,” Trump said.
“If the attacks take place, he explained, “It will take them 100 years to rebuild.”
155 aircraft deployed
Trump went on to detail the complex operation to recover a missing US service member from Iranian territory, highlighting the scale and precision of the mission.
“The recovery mission involved 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, and 48 refueling tankers,” he said.
Trump singled out the small AH-6 “Little Birds” helicopters for their pivotal role in the rescue. “We took three helicopters over there, which were very strongly used, and couldn't have lived without them,” he said.
“These are helicopters–unbelievably powerful, but small, very small–so it can get into certain areas.”
He also revealed the US military destroyed its own aircraft rather than risk leaving them behind.
“We blew up the old planes. We blew them up to smithereens because we had equipment on the planes that, frankly, we'd like to take, but I don't think it was worthwhile spending another four hours there taking it off,” Trump said.
The airman was ultimately extracted by helicopter.
Not everybody on board
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who spoke briefly at the news conference, said the next 24 hours will mark the “largest volume of strikes” since the operation against Iran began.
“Per the president's direction, today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one of this operation,” Hegseth said. The strikes won’t stop there, he added, “Tomorrow, even more than today.”
Hegseth said Iran has a “choice” and called on the regime to “choose wisely, because this president does not play around.”
Trump acknowledged internal dissent over his plan, revealing the tension within his own team. “Not everybody was on board,” he told reporters, adding, “There were military people who said, ‘You just don’t do this.’”
Asked about the impact of the US targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran, Trump said that Iranians would be "willing to suffer to have their freedom".
He added that the US has had "numerous intercepts" suggesting the Iranian people are calling for further strikes against the government.
Trump said the Americans should trust him on the war. “I have the best plan of all,” Trump said. “But I’m not going to tell you what my plan is.”
“We can’t let Iran get a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in response to a question.
“A deal is possible”
The US president reiterated that he is “very disappointed” in NATO countries after allies refused his request to join the Iranian mission. He says he was most disappointed with the UK.
"They have two old broken aircraft carriers," he says, adding that the British ships "barely work".
Trump offered little when pressed on ceasefire negotiations or reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“I can’t talk about cease-fire, but I will tell you we have an active, willing participant on the (Iran) side,” he said. “They would like to be able to make a deal. I can’t say any more than that.”
The US president said the Iranian side is negotiating “in good faith” and that the US is “getting the help of some incredible countries that want this to be ended.”
Trump ended with a hard deadline hanging over the crisis, “Essentially, they have till 8 PM tomorrow night, eastern time.”
