President Donald Trump warned that “the entire country” could be “taken out” by overnight airstrikes, following his latest threat on Truth Social targeting Iran’s power plants and bridges. The president made this statement during a news conference where he described an operation to rescue a downed F-15 pilot after it was shot down by Iran on Friday. The mission involved 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, and 13 rescue aircraft.
Trump stated that Operation Epic Fury has been “succeeding at a level that nobody’s ever seen before,” adding that “the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.” He extended the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 24 hours—initially setting a 48-hour deadline on March 22, later pushing it to March 27, and then to April 6 at 8:00 p.m., “as per Iranian Government request.”
When asked whether bombing power plants would violate international law, Trump said “no, not at all,” adding that Iran has been “trouble for 47 years” and that “we’re never gonna let Iran have a nuclear weapon.” He also stated the New York Times had “no credibility.”
The Iran War Cost Tracker reports over 13 American military personnel killed and 300 wounded since the conflict began, with more than 5,000 Iranian military members—including Navy chief Alireza Tangsiri and IRGC intelligence chief Major General Majid Khademi—dead. More than 1,500 Iranian civilians have also died. The war has cost Americans over $1 billion daily, reaching $42.9 billion as of this writing, with a cost per hour of nearly $42 million.
The IRGC has vowed retaliation for the Israeli air strike that killed Khademi.
