U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media aboard Air Force One March 29, 2026 as he heads to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, from West Palm Beach, Florida. President Trump returned to Washington DC on Sunday after a weekend in Florida.
Nathan Howard | Getty Images
President Donald Trump In an expletive-laden social media post on Sunday, he vowed to hit Iran’s power plants and bridges. He vowed that these “crazy bastards” would “live in hell” if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened to all maritime traffic by Tuesday, just hours after announcing that the United States had rescued the last airman shot down in Iran last week.
“Tuesday will be Power Plants Day and Bridges Day, all in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Trump said in a Truth on social media.
Asset repeatedly threatened Iran’s critical infrastructure, vowing to send Iran back to the ‘Stone Age’ if it fails to meet US demands as the war enters its second month and the Middle East conflict shows no signs of slowing down.
The destruction of civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said the president’s comments were “embarrassing and juvenile,” and warned it could put future downed airmen at greater risk if they were captured in Iran.
“If you send the message that there is no quarter for the people on the other side, that really encourages them to mistreat our citizens,” said Kaine, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “These are people trying to act like they’re pumped up and tough, when what we’re really seeing from the administration in this war is no plan, no clear rationale, no effort to rally allies.”
Iran, meanwhile, has shown no signs of backing down, striking economic and infrastructural targets in neighboring Gulf Arab countries.
On Sunday, Iranian state television broadcast a video showing what it claimed were parts of a U.S. plane shot down by Iranian forces, along with a photo of thick black smoke rising into the air. The TV station said Iran shot down a US transport plane and two helicopters that were taking part in the rescue operation.
However, a regional intelligence official briefed on the mission told The Associated Press that the U.S. military had blown up two transport planes due to a technical malfunction, forcing it to call in additional planes to complete the rescue. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret mission.
Iran’s joint military command claimed Sunday that four U.S. planes were destroyed in the rescue operation and warned of intensified attacks on the region’s oil and civilian infrastructure if the United States and Israel attacked such targets in the Islamic Republic, according to state television.
“We repeat once again: if you again commit aggression and strike civilian installations, our responses will be more forceful,” a spokesperson said in comments reported by the IRNA news agency.
Countdown to Trump’s deadlineMeanwhile, the United States has stepped up pressure on Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint connecting Iran and the Arabian Peninsula through which much of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass.
Asset said Saturday in a Truth on social media: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to make a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz. Time is running out – 48 hours until all hell breaks loose.” [sic] on them. »
Oman’s foreign ministry said on Sunday it had met with Iranian officials the day before to discuss “possible options to ensure the smooth running of transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”
“During the meeting, experts from both sides presented a number of visions and proposals which will be studied,” the Omani government said. statement on X read.
On March 26, Trump said he would extend a pause in his attacks. IranIt is energy installations from 10 days to April 6 at the request of the government of the Islamic Republic.
In a televised speech On Wednesday from the White House, Trump told Americans that he expects the Iran was to last another two to three weeks, but said the conflict was about to end.
“We’re going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very quickly,” he said.
The spot price of current physical cargoes of Brent crude oil climbed Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, according to S&P Global, which tracks the data.
Read more news about the US-Iran warThe spot price reflects the demand for Brent oil which will be delivered in the next 10 to 30 days. The high price of immediate oil deliveries reflects the current physical constraints on supply due to the enormous disruptions caused by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The price was $32.33 higher than the Brent crude futures contract for delivery in June, which closed at $109.03 on Thursday.
Iran’s foreign minister has, in principle, left the door open for peace talks with the United States, amid talk of Pakistan mediating, but he has given no sign of Tehran’s willingness to comply with Trump’s demands.
“We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to visit Islamabad. What matters to us are the conditions for a definitive and lasting END to the illegal war imposed on us,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. said the.
Pakistan told The Associated Press on Saturday that efforts to broker a ceasefire were “on track.”
A U.S. Boeing F-15 Strike Eagle performs combat aerial maneuvers near Los Llanos Air Base, February 22, 2022, in Albacete, Castilla-la Mancha, Spain. Ukraine.
A. Pérez Meca | Europe Press | Getty Images
US rescues last airman shot down by IranAsset said Sunday that the United States had rescued a missing service member after Iran shot down a fighter jet, while pledging to strike key infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday.
Trump confirmed that a US airman missing after an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down in Iran has been rescued. The plane’s pilot was rescued shortly after the plane was destroyed.
“WE GOT HIM!” Asset said in a Truth Social article referring to the second officer.
“Over the past several hours, the United States military has conducted one of the most daring search and rescue operations in American history,” Trump said.
The president later said the rescued airman, an officer, was “seriously injured.”
“We rescued seriously injured and truly courageous F-15 crew/officers from deep in the mountains of Iran,” Trump said in a statement. post to Truth Social. “He is a very respected colonel.”
Trump said his administration did not initially confirm the rescue of the first crew member to avoid jeopardizing the operation.
The president also said he would speak about the military operation in Iran during a news conference in the Oval Office on Monday at 1 p.m. ET.
Tehran and Washington confirmed on Saturday that Iran dejected the F-15E two-seater jet. This is the first time Iranian forces have successfully shot down a US warplane since the US and Israel began airstrikes against Iran on February 28.
Separately, two U.S. officials said Saturday that the pilot of a U.S. A-10 Warthog jet ejected from the plane that crashed in Kuwait after being hit by Iranian gunfire. The Wall Street Journal And The Washington Post were the first to announce that the A-10 had been shot down.
Petrochemical zone hit in IranHowever, Iran appears to be maintaining its retaliatory attacks against its Gulf region neighbors and appears to be targeting petrochemical facilities.
The Abu Dhabi media office said in a post on X that city authorities responded to several fires at the Borouge petrochemical plant “caused by falling debris following successful interceptions by air defense systems”.
Operations at the factory have been suspended, the Abu Dhabi media office said.
Borouge did not immediately respond to CNBC’s email Sunday seeking confirmation.
The company operates a petrochemical complex in the industrial city of Al Ruwais in the United Arab Emirates, according to its website.
Bahrain’s official news agency reported that the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) had confirmed that “a number of its operational units were subject to a attack by Iranian dronesin the early hours of Sunday morning.
GPIC also did not immediately respond to CNBC’s emailed request for comment.
On Saturday, Iranian state media reported airstrikes on a petrochemical zone in southwestern Iran, wounding at least five people.
A projectile also hit an auxiliary building near the perimeter of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, Tasnim news agency said, killing one person. Plant operations were not affected.
Russian state nuclear company Rosatom evacuated another 198 of its staff from the site on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported, as part of evacuations already planned before the latest incident.
The Israeli army, for its part, claimed to have carried out “a wave of strikes” on Tehran.
Iran attacks targets in three Gulf statesIn Kuwait, Iranian drone attacks caused significant damage to power plants and a petrochemical plant. They also shut down a water desalination plant, according to the Electricity Ministry. No injuries were reported, the ministry said.
In Bahrain, a drone attack caused a fire at one of the national oil company’s storage facilities and a state-run petrochemical plant, the kingdom’s official news agency said.
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities They responded to fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais, caused, they say, by intercepted debris, thus interrupting operations.
The strikes came a day after Israel struck a petrochemical plant in Iran that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said had generated revenue that it used to finance the war.
The petrochemical industry is a key sector in many Gulf states. Factories in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iran turn oil and gas into products such as plastics, polymers and fertilizers, generating billions in export revenue.
Kuwait Petroleum reports damage after drone attacksIranian drone attacks hit various targets in Kuwait on Sunday, with state-owned energy company Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reporting fires and “serious property damage” in some operational units. KPC said in a statement that crews were working to contain fires at the Petrochemical Industries Company and National Petroleum Company subsidiaries.
In another incident, the KPC had earlier said that a fire broke out at its Shuwaikh oil sector complex, which houses the Ministry of Petroleum and the KPC headquarters, after a drone attack.
Kuwaiti state media, citing the Finance Ministry, said an Iranian drone struck an office complex for government ministries, causing significant property damage but causing no casualties.
Two power generation units were also knocked out of service after Iranian drones targeted two power and water desalination plants, causing significant damage, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water said.
No injuries were reported in these incidents.
The US-Israeli war against Iran is in its sixth week, with Tehran striking Israel and Gulf Arab states welcoming the United States. military installations.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed responsibility for attacks on petrochemical plants in Kuwait, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
— CNBC’s Terri Cullen, Garrett Downs and Luke Fountain, as well as the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
