Iran War Live Updates: Trump Escalates Threat to Hit Iranian Power Plants After U.S. Rescues Downed Airman

 

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Escalates Threat to Hit Iranian Power Plants After U.S. Rescues Downed Airman

President Trump used an expletive-laden social media post to taunt Iranian leaders, saying that the United States would attack if they did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

 

Aaron Boxerman Greg JaffeHelene Cooper Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/05/world/iran-war-trump-news

 

Here’s the latest.

President Trump on Sunday 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.

 

Mr. Trump, seemingly emboldened by the successful U.S. 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, U.S. forces would target the country’s energy infrastructure, which supplies power for millions of civilians. Mr. Trump made the point in a crudely worded social media post.

 

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Mr. Trump said. “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH.”

 

“Praise be to Allah,” he added.

 

In response to Mr. Trump, Mizan, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, said that “Iran’s steadfastness and resistance have driven Trump to the brink of madness.” Mizan also said he had insulted the Iranians with “vile” language.

 

The president has previously postponed his deadline to attack twice. On Sunday, he told Fox News that he believed he could reach a deal with Iran by Monday, then turned back to threats, saying that if Iran did not make a deal, he was “considering blowing everything up” and taking control of its oil. 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 United States. 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 U.S. military had 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 U.S. combat aircraft being downed by enemy fire 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. American commandoes found the airman deep inside Iranian territory under the cover of darkness.

 

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

 

The incident underscored Iran’s ability to fight back despite weeks of attacks on its military arsenal. Another U.S. 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 U.S. officials said.

 

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 Corporation’s oil complex.

 

Here’s what else we’re covering:

 

Beirut strikes: Amid one of the heaviest days of Israeli bombardment of the Lebanese capital, a strike in a densely populated residential area next to one of Lebanon’s largest hospitals killed at least four people and wounded 40 others, according to Doctors Without Borders. The group, which is working alongside staff at the hospital, declared it a mass-casualty incident. Earlier Sunday, the Israeli military said it was attacking Hezbollah “infrastructure sites,” and it conducted multiple raids on targets in the city’s southern outskirts.

 

Petrochemical factories hit: Israel on Saturday struck a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr, a sprawling industrial center in Iran’s southwest that plays a significant role in the country’s economy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said the targeted sites were part of a “money machine” that brought in revenues for the Iranian government. At least five people were killed and 170 others injured in the attack on the major oil industry hub, state media in Iran reported.

 

Warning from oil nations: Eight members of the consortium of influential oil producing nations known as OPEC Plus expressed concern on Sunday about the toll the war was taking on global oil supplies and energy infrastructure in the region. “Restoring damaged energy assets to full capacity is both costly and takes a long time,” the group said in a statement warning of a slow recovery after the war.