Trump on social media vowed to hit Iran’s power plants and bridges and said the country would be “living in He--” if the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global trade, isn’t opened. He ended with “Praise be to Allah.”
The latest threat of retaliation from Trump comes just hours after news that American forces had carried out a dramatic rescue of a crew member from a fighter jet that was downed by the Iranians on Thursday. The pilot of the F-15 had been rescued within hours of the crash.
A senior U.S. administration official said that before locating the second aviator, the CIA spread word inside Iran that U.S. forces had found him and were moving him out, creating confusion for Iranians. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
On Sunday, Iran’s state television aired a video showing what it claimed were parts of U.S. aircraft — a transport plane and two helicopters — shot down by Iranian forces during the rescue operation.
However, a regional intelligence official briefed on the mission told the AP that the U.S. military blew up two transport planes because of a technical malfunction and brought in additional aircraft to complete the rescue. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the covert mission.
