President Donald Trump delivered a stark warning to Iran on Monday, stating the nation could face complete military devastation within a single evening if officials fail to agree to ceasefire terms by Tuesday night.
Speaking during a White House press briefing, Trump issued the ultimatum: “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.”
The president had previously established Tuesday evening as the final deadline for Iran to accept a ceasefire agreement or face extensive attacks targeting power facilities and other vital infrastructure.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced during the same briefing that Monday would see the most intensive military strikes since operations against Iran began, with Tuesday expected to bring even greater force.
Trump also provided extensive details about a weekend rescue operation that successfully retrieved a downed American pilot from Iranian soil. The president explained how the unidentified airman sought refuge in mountainous terrain, continuously moving to higher elevations to improve his chances of being found.
“It was like finding a needle in a haystack,” Trump remarked about the search efforts.
The recovery mission involved hundreds of American military personnel working to locate the pilot before Iranian forces could capture him, according to Trump.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, present at the briefing, revealed that the agency conducted a “deception campaign” designed to mislead Iranian officials about the airman’s actual location.
Ratcliffe reported that Saturday morning brought confirmation that “one of America’s best and bravest was alive and concealed in a mountain crevice, still invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA.”
The pilot, who was shot down Friday, was successfully extracted Sunday morning.
Trump described the rescue operation in dramatic terms: “In a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality and force, America’s military descended on the area, the real area, engaged the enemy, rescued the stranded officer, destroyed all threats and exited Iranian territory while taking no casualties of any kind.”
Hegseth noted that the rescued airman activated an emergency beacon to signal his position, and his initial communication upon rescue was: “God is good.”
