Missing US airman rescued as Trump warns “all hell will rain down”
The US has said it has rescued a service member missing “behind enemy lines” with Trump vowing to escalate the pressure on Tehran with renewed threats.
The US president wrote on social media that the rescued aviator is injured but “will be just fine”, noting the rescue involved “dozens of aircraft”.
He wrote: “This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour.”
The extraction followed a US search and rescue operation after the crash on Friday, as Iran promised a reward for anyone who turned in an “enemy pilot”.
The rescue followed an earlier extraction of another crew member, with the jet the first US aricraft to crash in Iranian territory since the beginning of the conflict.
Fresh threats
Trump has also given Iran fresh warnings to make a deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Monday.
He wrote: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait. Time is running out, 48 hours before all hell will reign down on them.”
In response, Iran’s General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi said on Saturday that “the doors of hell will be opened to you” if Iran’s infrastructure is attacked, according to state media reports.
He went on to threaten all US infrastructure in the region.
The latest threat follows Trump’s initial 48 hour ultimatum for Iran to open the waterway on March 21.
He then postponed his threatened strikes on Iranian energy facilities after claiming the US and Tehran had “productive conversations”.
On March 27 Trump said the pause would last ten days, setting an April 6 deadline, with the latest threat framed on that date.
Iranian strikes
An Iranian drone attack also caused damage to two power plants in Kuwait and put a water desalination station out of service, according to the nation’s Ministry of Electricity.
In Bahrain, the national oil company said a drone attack caused a fire at a storage facility before being extinguished with damage still being assessed.
The UAE also reported fires at a biochemical plant caused by falling debris after interceptions from its air defence system.