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U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday made new, expletive-laden threats to escalate strikes on Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn\u2019t open the\u00a0Strait of Hormuz\u00a0by his deadline, after American forces rescued an aviator whose Iran-downed plane had fallen behind enemy lines.<\/p>\n
A defiant Iran showed no sign of backing down, striking economic and infrastructure targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries and challenging the U.S. account of the rescue.<\/p>\n
In a social media post, Trump promised strikes on Iran\u2019s power plants and bridges. He vowed the \u201ccrazy bastards\u201d would be \u201cliving in Hell\u201d if the strait, a crucial waterway for global trade, isn\u2019t opened to marine traffic by Tuesday. He ended with \u201cPraise be to Allah.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has issued such deadlines before but extended them when mediators have claimed progress toward ending the war, which has killed thousands, shaken\u00a0global markets, cut off key shipping routes and\u00a0spiked fuel prices\u00a0in just over five weeks.<\/p>\n
Both sides have threatened and hit civilian targets like oil fields and desalination plants critical for drinking water, bringing warnings of\u00a0possible war crimes.<\/p>\n
U.S. describes a dramatic rescue<\/p>\n
The rescue of the U.S. airman followed an intense search after Friday\u2019s crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle, while Iran had promised a reward for anyone who turned in an \u201cenemy pilot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump said that the service member was \u201cseriously wounded and really brave\u201d and rescued from \u201cdeep inside the mountains\u201d in Iran.<\/p>\n
Trump said a second crew member was rescued in \u201cbroad daylight\u201d within hours of the crash. The fighter jet was the first known American aircraft to crash in Iranian territory since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n
Iran also shot down another U.S. military plane, demonstrating both the perils of the bombing campaign and the ability of\u00a0Iran\u2019s degraded military to hit back.\u00a0The other plane was a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft. Neither the status of the crew nor where it crashed is known.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Iran\u2019s state television aired a video showing what it claimed were parts of U.S. aircraft shot down by Iranian forces, along with a photo of thick, black smoke rising. The broadcaster said that Iran had shot down a transport plane and two helicopters that were part of the rescue operation.<\/p>\n
However, a regional intelligence official briefed on the mission told The Associated Press 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.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s military joint command on Sunday said that four U.S. aircraft were destroyed during the operation, and warned of stepping up retaliatory attacks on regional oil and civilian infrastructure if the U.S. and Israel attack such targets in the Islamic Republic, according to state television.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe once again repeat: if you commit aggression again and strike civilian facilities, our responses will be more forceful,\u201d a spokesman said in comments published by the IRNA news agency.<\/p>\n
Diplomatic efforts continue<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s deadline of 9 p.m. EDT Monday (0100 GMT Tuesday), centers on growing alarm over Iran\u2019s grip on the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
The waterway is a\u00a0critical choke point for commerical trade, especially oil and gas moving from the Persian Gulf to Europe and Asia, and is key to\u00a0the delivery of humanitarian supplies. Disruptions have shaken markets and pushed oil and gas-importing countries to seek alternatives.<\/p>\n
Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi with Iran\u2019s joint military command late Saturday responded to Trump\u2019s warnings by threatening all infrastructure used by the U.S. military in the region.<\/p>\n
Diplomatic efforts continued, seeking to calm the situation.<\/p>\n
Oman\u2019s Foreign Ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss \u201ca number of visions and proposals\u201d to ensure \u201csmooth transit\u201d through the strait. Oman has often served as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran in the past.<\/p>\n
Egypt said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken by phone with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as with Turkish and Pakistani counterparts who are helping to mediate.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Ministry said it had conveyed to Araghchi that Islamabad supports \u201call efforts aimed at de-escalation.\u201d Last week, Islamabad said that\u00a0it would soon host talks\u00a0between the U.S. and Iran.<\/p>\n
A proposed compromise includes a cessation of hostilities to allow a diplomatic settlement, according to a regional official involved in the efforts and a Gulf diplomat briefed on the matter. The official spoke earlier on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.<\/p>\n
An escalation, however, could see Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen resuming attacks on vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway for global traffic to and from the Suez Canal.<\/p>\n
Iran attacks Gulf infrastructure and economic targets<\/p>\n
In Kuwait, Iranian drone attacks caused significant damage to power plants and a petrochemical plant. They also put a water desalination station out of service, according to the Ministry of Electricity. It said that no injuries were reported.<\/p>\n
In Bahrain, a drone attack caused a fire at one of the national oil company\u2019s storage facilities and a state-run petrochemical plant, the kingdom\u2019s official news agency said.<\/p>\n
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities responded to fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais that they said were caused by intercepted debris, halting operations.<\/p>\n
The strikes came a day after Israel struck a major petrochemical plant in Iran that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said generated revenue used to fund the war.<\/p>\n
The petrochemical industry is a key sector in many Gulf states, converting oil and gas into products like plastics and fertilizer and bringing billions of dollars in export revenue.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began.<\/p>\n
In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S.\u00a0service members\u00a0have been killed. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people\u00a0have been killed\u00a0and more than 1 million people\u00a0have been displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have died there.<\/p>\n
#Trump #vows #strike #Irans #power #plants #bridges #Hormuz #isnt #open #Tuesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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