Trump threatens to 'obliterate' all of Iran in 'one night' as he demands opening of Strait of Hormuz
Trump's comments come in the wake of a proposed peace plan which would see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz for a brief period in exchange for the end of US attacks
Donald Trump has threatened to "obliterate all of Iran" in a single night as he gave an update on the "historic" rescue of a downed US airman.
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Speaking from the White House on Monday, the US president claimed Iran could be "taken out in one night" and added that the attack could take place tomorrow.
It comes as he hailed the "historic" rescue of a downed airman in Iran over the weekend, telling reporters the mission showed a "breathtaking show of skill and precision lethality" by the US military.
Trump's comments come in the wake of a proposed peace plan which would see Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz for a brief period in exchange for the end of US attacks.
He has called the proposal a "significant step", but Iran flatly rejected it today just hours after receiving it.
Sharing details of the rescue mission, which saw a downed pilot airlifted out of Iranian territory, Trump said: "In a breathtaking show of skill and precision lethality, America's military descended on the area, the real area, engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer and destroyed all threats."
"It's a risky decision because we could have ended up with 100 dead as opposed to one or two," Trump added.
The F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft was shot down over enemy territory, forcing the pilot and a weapons systems officer (WSO) to eject.
The pilot was quickly rescued, but the second airman could not be located.
Iran offered a bounty of £50,000 ($66,100) for him to be captured alive, with videos on social media appearing to show armed civilians searching for him.
He was reportedly forced to scale a remote mountain region whilst suffering from a sprained ankle, climbing up the nearest peak to evade locals.
At one stage, the airman scaled a 7,000ft mountain ridge, hiding from the enemy in a crevice and carrying only a handgun.
This prompted a massive rescue mission, with a ‘deception campaign’ spreading rumours that the US army had already located the missing officer.
Dozens of special forces, alongside US warplanes and helicopters, along with the CIA, were involved in the plan.
Following this, Israel fired at 120 targets and opened fire across Iran in a bombing campaign, clearing the way for the rescue mission.
Turning his attention to NATO, Trump once again branded the alliance a "paper tiger" and said he was "very disappointed."
Attacking Britain's war-fighting capabilities, he said: "They have two old broken aircraft carriers."
He went on to say a ceasefire deal with Iran could see the US controlling the Strait of Hormuz and charging to allow ships through.
Today's press briefing came just minutes after he said a proposed ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran is a “significant step forward”, but if it “were up to him”, he would simply take the country’s oil.
Speaking to reporters at the White House’s Easter event, the President said he is only considering peace because it would “make the American people happy.”
It comes amid reports Iran has flatly rejected a proposed ceasefire that would see the Strait of Hormuz opened for a short time.
Speaking about the proposed deal, Trump said: "It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step forward."
“We are obliterating their country. And I hate to do it, but we're obliterating it.
"They just don't want to say ‘uncle.’ They don't want to cry as the expression goes ‘uncle,’ but they will.
"And if they don't, They'll have no bridges. They'll have no power plants. They'll have no anything. I won't go further because there are other things that are worse than those two.
"If it were up to me I'd take the oil, I'd keep the oil, we'd make plenty of money," he added, but said he wants a deal to make the American people “happy.”
In an apparent jab at UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Trump said: "We don't want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree?"
Chamberlain was a British PM best known for appeasing Hitler in the run-up to the Second World War.