Iran Will Have No Bridges Or Power Plants If Deal Not Made Within Deadline: Donald Trump

In a much-awaited press briefing following US President Donald Trump's expletive-laden social media post directed at Iran, Trump reiterated the deadline he had mentioned for the proposed deal and discussed the rescue operation of its fighter pilots.

The President hailed the operation that led to the rescue of US airmen in Iran as “historic”.

“I ordered the American armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home,” Trump told reporters, adding that 21 US military aircraft were deployed as part of that mission.

He further stated that US F-15 that which was downed last week in Iran “was the first manned aircraft downed by the enemy in this entire operation”. The rescue operation for the second pilot, who was still trapped in Iran days after the first was rescued, involved 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refuelling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft, and more.

Commenting on attacks, the president offered yet another vague statement claiming the US’s war on Iran is going well and that US forces could “take out” the whole country in a single night. “The entire country can be taken out in one night,” said Trump. “And that night might be tomorrow night.” He further stated that the US military has hit around 13,000 targets across the country.

Trump's briefing also focused on a mole who 'leaked the information surrounding the second pilot. He added that US authorities are trying to identify the person who “leaked” the information, adding that Iran was not aware of the status of the second pilot prior to the report, which made the US rescue operation “much more difficult”, as the Iranian state was reported to have announced a reward for anybody who found the second pilot.

He further demanded that the media company that published the report regarding the second pilot to provide the identity of the leaker or face prosecution. “We’re looking very hard to find that leaker,” said Trump.

“We think we’ll be able to find it out because we’re going to go to the media company that released it and we’re going to say: ‘National security – give it up or go to jail’,” he added.

Answering questions, Trump said instead of the Iran, he would prefer for the US to charge tolls to vessels, saying "We're the winner...We won. They are militarily defeated... we have a concept where we'll charge tolls."

Trump refused to confirm the possibility of ceasefire or discuss further details beyond mentioning the deadline he has set for Iran. According to him, while they are making good progress, in order to meet his 48-hour deadline - set at 8PM Tuesday (Eastern Time) - Iran needs to make a deal that is "acceptable to him", where an essential condition would be the "free traffic of oil". He also said if the deadline passes, "they're going to have no bridges or power plants."

He further blamed previous presidents for not having dealt with Iran sooner, adding that he personally terminated the Iran nuclear deal signed between the US and Iran in 2015, under President Barack Obama, which 'would only led to Iran possessing nuclear weapons'. He said that it is surprising that Jewish people in America would choose to vote for Democrats, when Obama chose 'Iran over Israel.'

The US President reiterated his claims of ending eight wars, including India and Pakistan. He went on to express his disappointment towards NATO and other allies, but mentioned that a few other countries are helping the deal take shape at the moment.

The US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth however said that US forces will "carry out more strikes on Iran today than on any other day" since the war started, with plans to further escalate tomorrow. "Then Iran has a choice,” he said, alluding to US President Trump’s ultimatum for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

With inputs from BBC and Al Jazeera.