ADDS DETAILS, CHANGES DECK, LEDE
By Yasin Gungor
ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that American forces could 'take out' the entire nation of Iran in just a single night.
'The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,' Trump told reporters.
He also sharpened his deadline for Iran, warning that by Tuesday night at 8 pm EDT (0000GMT Wednesday), every bridge and power plant in Iran would be 'decimated' if no deal was reached.
The president also said that Washington is now dealing with an 'active, willing participant' on the Iranian side who is negotiating 'in good faith.' Some 'incredible countries' are assisting in ending the hostilities, he added.
- Rescue missions
Trump said a second recovery mission for a missing US service member involved 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, and 48 refueling tankers. He previously said that some 200 Special Forces personnel assisted in the retrieval.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the agency executed a 'deception campaign to confuse the Iranians' while using classified assets to find the airmen in a remote mountain crevice.
Trump described the rescue as a high-stakes gamble, saying he authorized it knowing it could have resulted in mass casualties.
Two large aircraft sent to extract the crew reportedly got stuck in wet sand, raising fears they would be unable to take off under the weight of personnel and equipment. To prevent Iran from capturing sensitive US military technology, Trump said the planes were destroyed on the ground.
Trump said that over the past 37 days, US forces had carried out more than 10,000 combat flights over Iran, striking more than 13,000 targets. He also said the downed F-15 was the first manned aircraft lost to enemy fire during the operation.
- Media leak
Trump said that his administration is searching 'very hard' for a leaker who shared details on the first pilot rescued from Iran last week after his plane was downed.
Trump accused an unnamed media outlet of endangering the second rescue by leaking that a pilot was still missing inside Iran, information he said triggered a nationwide Iranian manhunt and a public bounty for the airman's capture.
The US president threatened to pursue the journalist responsible, saying the outlet would be told to identify the source on national security grounds.
He also said he prefers the US 'charging tolls' in the Strait of Hormuz rather than letting Iran do it. Trump suggested that Iran was 'militarily defeated' and that the US, as the victor, intends to charge tolls on the Strait of Hormuz.
'Why shouldn't we? We're the winner. We won,' he said.
- NATO's role
Trump also expressed frustration with NATO's role in the conflict. He said the alliance's refusal to help secure the Strait of Hormuz is 'a mark on NATO that will never disappear.' Trump further said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not fear NATO but the US instead, adding: 'NATO is us.'
He also singled out Japan, Australia, and South Korea, alongside NATO, for failing to assist in the Iran campaign.
NATO member states have pointed how out Trump started the war without consulting any of the alliance members.
Trump also advised Kurdish forces to 'stay away' from Iran as the military prepares for a major escalation, saying they 'bring with them some problems' and could 'bring death to themselves.'
Separately, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday would see 'the largest volume of strikes in Iran since day one,' adding that the military would launch 'even more' on Tuesday.
CENTCOM, which is responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, confirmed that two service members were recovered after their F-15E jet was downed by a shoulder-fired missile on April 2.
Since Feb. 28, US and Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. Iran has also restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
