Iran hit back at Donald Trump’s extraordinary expletive-laden outburst on Sunday, with its parliament speaker urging the US president to “end this dangerous game”.
Mr Trump drastically ramped up his threats to strike Iran’s vital energy infrastructure, warning Tehran to “open the F***in’” Strait of Hormuz ahead of Monday’s deadline or face “Hell”.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on social media platform X: “Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single family, and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s commands. Make no mistake: You won’t gain anything through war crimes.”
He added: “The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game.”
Just hours after confirming the rescue of a US airman from Iranian territory, the US president said that “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one” if the key waterway is not opened to oil tankers.
Iran effectively closed the strait shortly after the war began in February, with vessels coming under attack by drones and missiles. The disruption to traffic has caused an oil-price shock that has sparked turmoil in global markets, piling pressure on Washington to seek an end to the conflict.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president told Iran to “open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards” or face “living in Hell”, before signing off with: “Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP”.
Despite the threats, Mr Trump has continued to insist, in a phone interview with FOX News, that Iran was involved in negotiations towards an end to the war, but claimed that he would “take Iran’s oil” if an agreement was not reached. He did not specify how this would be achieved.
Tehran vowed to reciprocate attacks on its infrastructure and target similar infrastructure linked to the US, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Sunday, according to WANA news agency.
On Saturday, Iran’s central military command derided his threat to strike infrastructure as a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action”.
Referencing Mr Trump’s threat to “reign down hell” on Iran, senior military official General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi said “the gates of hell will open for you”.
Mr Trump’s expletive-laden comments drew a significant backlash from one of his former Republican allies, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said that officials close to the president should “beg forgiveness from God” and intervene in his “madness”.
“I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit,” she wrote in a lengthy post on X.
On 27 March, Mr Trump announced a 10-day pause in strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure after what he called “productive talks” with Tehran. Indirect negotiations have been taking place through mediators, but have failed to yield any breakthrough to stop the fighting. Tehran denies any direct communication with Washington.
Strikes on energy infrastructure by the US and Israel would represent a major escalation and draw significant retaliation by Tehran, which has vowed to hit energy and oil plants across the Gulf.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Trump announced that US special forces had successfully recovered a wounded airman stranded deep behind enemy lines after Iran shot down his fighter jet.
The injured airman was the second of the two crew members from the warplane Iran said on Friday it had brought down with its air defences, an event that triggered a high-profile search by both Tehran and the United States.
“WE GOT HIM!” Mr Trump said in a statement, calling it “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history”.
“This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour,” he said.
The weapons-systems officer, who has not been identified, sustained injuries but “will be fine”, the president said. He said that no US personnel were killed or injured in the rescue mission.
The major operation, reported to have harnessed resources from the CIA and Israeli intelligence, followed another mission on Friday to rescue the pilot of the aircraft, who ejected after it was reportedly hit by Iranian air defences. US officials told CBS that crew members on board an American helicopter were wounded by small-arms fire during that mission.
Iran’s military said several US aircraft were destroyed in the operation, including two military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters. A US official said that at least one aircraft used in the mission had to be destroyed because it had malfunctioned.
The airman, armed only with a pistol while in hiding, was equipped with a beacon and a secure communication device for coordinating with forces mounting the rescue.
Mr Trump said he would hold a news conference on Monday in the Oval Office at 1pm local time, shortly after his deadline expires.
The successful rescue mission will come as a relief for the president, who faces mounting pressure at home over a war that has sparked a global energy crisis and remains unpopular in the United States.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last weekend found that 66 per cent of Americans want the war to end quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the administration.
Mr Trump is still under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas usually passes in peacetime.
Iran has recently cut deals with countries – most recently with Iraq – to facilitate safe passage through the strait. However, Tehran insists it will not let vessels belonging to “hostile” countries that support the US or Israel to transit the waterway.
At least 13 American service personnel have been killed in the US-Israel war in Iran. More than 300 service members have been injured.
