US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran could be “taken out in one night” if ongoing negotiations collapse, as tensions escalate ahead of a key deadline.
Speaking at a press conference late Monday, Trump issued a stark threat, saying that “the entire country could be taken out in one night and that night might be tomorrow night”.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signalled further escalation, saying the scale of military action was increasing. “Today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one,” he said. “Tomorrow, even more than today.”
The warning comes as Washington’s deadline for Tehran expires on Tuesday night, with the US demanding that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has threatened strikes on Iranian power plants and other critical infrastructure if no agreement is reached.
Massive rescue operation after pilot downed
Trump also detailed the rescue of a US military pilot shot down by Iranian forces, describing a large-scale operation involving significant military assets.
According to the president, the officer was “bleeding profusely” but managed to climb through mountainous terrain and contact US forces.
A total of 155 aircraft were deployed in the mission, including four bombers, 64 fighter jets, 48 refuelling tankers and 13 rescue aircraft. Trump said the operation also involved efforts to mislead Iranian forces about the search location.
The president further threatened legal action against a media outlet that reported details of the incident, warning of possible jail time if the source is not disclosed.
“We’re going to find out. It’s national security. And the person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say”, Trump stated, calling the leaker a “sick person”.
Iran rejects ceasefire as Trump deadline nears
Earlier on Monday, Iran has rejected a proposed 45-day ceasefire and is instead calling for a permanent end to the war, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Tehran conveyed its position to the United States via Pakistan, which is acting as a key intermediary. The message reportedly included a 10-point response covering reconstruction proposals and the lifting of sanctions.
“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press. He added that Iran no longer trusts the US administration following previous strikes during earlier rounds of talks.
The rejection comes as Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran approaches. Speaking earlier at the White House during the Easter Egg Roll, Trump described Iran’s latest proposal as “a very significant step,” but added: “It’s not good enough.”
Strikes continue
Meanwhile, fighting has continued across the region, with Israel and the United States carrying out a new wave of strikes on Iran on Monday that reportedly killed more than 25 people.
The casualty figures inside Iran cannot be independently verified.
One of the attacks hit an information and communication technology building at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, according to economics professor Mohammed Vesal. The university has been sanctioned by multiple countries over alleged links to Iran’s military, particularly its ballistic missile programme overseen by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Israel also said it struck a key petrochemical facility in the South Pars natural gas field and killed two Revolutionary Guard commanders, including its intelligence chief.
According to Israeli officials, the strike was aimed at a major source of Iranian revenue. South Pars is the world’s largest natural gas field shared with Qatar and is critical for Iran’s energy supply and electricity production.
Iran responded with missile fire targeting Israel as well as Gulf Arab states.
More than 5,200 people killed
New figures suggest that more than 5,200 people have been killed across the Middle East since the war began on February 28.
The estimates, based on an AFP compilation of data from governments and authorities, include 3,546 deaths in Iran, 1,497 in Lebanon, 34 in Israel, four in the occupied West Bank, 108 in Iraq and 41 across Gulf states.
The figures cannot be independently verified and should be treated as approximate.