Iran Deadline Approaches

U.S. forces have successfully rescued a second U.S. airman whose F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iran.

“WE GOT HIM!” President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post early Sunday morning.

“My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!”

Trump said the type of rescue of the colonel is seldom attempted because of the danger to “man and equipment.”

The president said dozens of U.S. aircraft supported the search and rescue mission, which had been ongoing since the two-seat fighter jet was shot down on April 2.

Trump said, “The rescue was an Easter Miracle” in a text message posted by Kristen Welker, moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press.

“The rescuers were brilliant, strong, decisive, and as cool as anyone can be. The Iranians thought they had him, but it wasn’t even close, and remember, we got two, but couldn’t talk about the first in that it would have highlighted that there was a second,” he said.

“Such a rescue has never happened before in so violent an enemy territory,” he added.

Trump confirmed the other airman was successfully recovered at an earlier point, “which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation.”

As the second rescue effort stretched onward, Trump said the downed airman evaded capture in the mountains of Iran, while Iranian forces drew nearer with each passing hour.

Trump added the other pilot was rescued “in broad daylight” after spending seven hours over Iran.

Despite being on the run behind enemy lines, Trump said the downed airman “was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue.”

Trump said the second downed airman had sustained unspecified injuries but would be “just fine.”

Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.

The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial passageway located just south of Iran used to transport one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas. A majority of the oil and gas that passed through the waterway went to Asia, while the United States and Europe were buying about 3 percent and 4 percent, respectively, of the crude moving through the strait.

It’s currently heavily restricted due to military activity by the Iranian regime. 

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on April 5.

Trump went on to say that if the Iranian regime does not open the strait, it will be “living in Hell.”

Hours later, he wrote in another post, “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”

This led to speculation that this would be the deadline set for the regime.

The president previously warned that Iran’s infrastructure would be targeted if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz by April 6.

On April 2, Trump posted a video showing U.S. forces destroying sections of a major bridge near the Iranian capital city of Tehran.

“It is time for Iran to make a deal before it is too late, and there is nothing left of what still could become a great country!” Trump said on Truth Social in all caps.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said it would be an understatement to say that the window on diplomacy was closing.

“He is deadly serious when it comes to his ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face a massive military response against vital infrastructure,” Graham said.

Iranian officials on Sunday said the country would carry out more forceful attacks on targets if the United States and Israel target the country’s civilian infrastructure, in an apparent response to the warnings issued by Trump over the weekend.

“If attacks on civilian facilities are repeated, the next phase of the operation will be more intense and broader in scope,” the IRGC warned via PressTV, without elaborating.

Iran has threatened to attack civilian infrastructure in nearby countries in the region, claiming it is being used to fuel U.S.–Israeli military operations. Last week, the regime warned it would attack American tech companies who are doing business in the Middle East, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and others.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized Trump’s post.

“Happy Easter, America,” he wrote on X. “As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the President of the United States is … threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies.”

Iran’s U.N. delegation urged the United Nations to “not remain silent” as Trump threatened to target civilian infrastructure.

“The international community and all States have legal obligations to prevent such atrocious acts of war crimes,” its account wrote on X. “They must act now. Tomorrow is too late.”

—Ryan Morgan, Emel Akan, and Jack Phillips

BOOKMARKS

For firefighters, fire isn’t the only threat they have to reckon with—these first responders also face a much higher rate of cancers due to their exposure to toxic and carcinogenic substances. However, The Epoch Times’ Allan Stein reported, Phoenix Deputy Fire Chief Jason Miller hopes that his “Storm Stick” could be a lifesaving innovation and a game-changer for firefighters. 

Despite its importance to international trade, The Epoch Times’ Sylvia Xu reported that data shows the U.S. isn’t reliant on the Strait of Hormuz for oil. Still, the continued shutdown is having impacts on American gas prices, data show. 

Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the United States tried to arm Iranian protesters and sent them guns via Kurdish groups but that he believes that the Kurds kept the guns for themselves. The Epoch Times’ Tom Ganrtert reported that Trump stated that the Iranian government killed 45,000 Iranian civilians in response to the protests against the regime earlier this year.