Speaking about the latest deadline given to Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz (Wednesday at 2 a.m. our time), Trump threatened: "The entire country could be destroyed in one night, and that night could be as soon as tomorrow."
Returning to the "massive operation" launched to rescue the other pilot who remained captured, Trump says he ordered the U.S. armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring him home. "We leave no American behind," he said.
Trump noted that rescue teams were under heavy enemy fire and that the helicopter now has bullet holes. He stated that as part of the rescue mission, the military deployed 155 aircraft, four bombers, 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue planes. He said they left the territory with the pilot, who had been captured for nearly 48 hours, without any losses. "We are by far the most powerful military in the world," Trump said.
Trump was again angry with the media and said U.S. authorities are trying to identify the journalist who "leaked" information that the second pilot remained in Iran after the first was rescued. He claims Iran was unaware of the second pilot's status before that report, which made the rescue operation "much harder." He threatened to demand that the source of the information be revealed or the media outlet would face criminal prosecution.
"We are working very intensely to find that leak source. We think we will succeed because we will go to the media outlet that published it and say, 'National security, reveal it or go to jail.' They put this mission at great risk," Trump said. It is unclear which publication Trump is threatening.
Asked about the possibility of a change of power in Iran, he insists his administration has a strategy for the ongoing operation, despite concerns that there is no clear plan, and that Americans should trust him. "I have the best plan of all, but I won't tell you what my plan is. Every single thing is detailed by all of us. But I can't reveal the plan to the media," Trump said.
The Iranian people want to be bombed
Trump claims the Iranian people would be "willing to suffer" from his threats to attack civilian and energy infrastructure if it ultimately brings them freedom from the regime. When asked whether attacks on infrastructure would amount to punishing the civilian population, Trump replied, "They would be willing to endure it to have freedom."
The president also claims the Iranian people want the U.S. to continue its bombing campaign. "We have intercepted numerous messages: 'Please, keep bombing.' Bombs falling near their homes, and they say, 'Please, keep bombing. Do it.' And these are people living where the bombs explode. And when we pull back and don't target those areas, they say, 'Please, come back, come back, come back,'" Trump said.
When asked by a New York Times reporter whether he is concerned about possibly committing war crimes and violating the Geneva Convention by intentionally bombing civilian infrastructure like power plants and bridges, Trump said he hopes it won't have to be done but is prepared for it. "I hope I won't have to do it. If you think I'm going to let them be powerful and rich and have nuclear weapons, you can tell your friends at the New York Times that won't happen," Trump said.
Trump states this is a "critical period," adding that his response will depend on Iran's next moves.
Can destroy Iran in four hours
He warns that if they do not meet his deadline, Iran will be left "without bridges" and "without power plants," and will look like it's in the "Stone Age," repeating his earlier threat to "send Iran back to the Stone Age." "We can bomb them to the ground," Trump said.
However, he also says Iran is an "active, willing participant" in negotiations that could potentially end the war. "We have a plan, thanks to the strength of our military, under which every bridge in Iran will be destroyed by tomorrow at midnight, every power plant will be out of order, burning, exploding, and never used again. I mean complete destruction by midnight, and it will happen within four hours. Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No. It will take them 100 years to rebuild it. If we left today, it would take them 20 years to rebuild their country, and it would never be the same again. And the only way they will be able to rebuild their country is by using the genius of the United States," Trump said.
When asked whether he would consider ending the war by having Tehran charge fees for ships and cargo vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump says he would rather have the United States charge those fees. "What about us charging the fees? I'd rather have that than them having it. Why wouldn't we? We are the winners. We won, okay? They are militarily defeated... We have a concept where we will charge the fees," Trump said. He did not further clarify his statement.
Trump again criticized NATO for not joining the war but also named Australia, South Korea, and Japan as countries that did not help. He added that the U.S. had been exploited for years before he took office and that there should be "more people" like him.
Trump also suggested that his growing rift with NATO began with his thoughts about taking over Greenland. "It all started with, if you want to know the truth, Greenland. We want Greenland. They don't want to give it to us. And I said, 'goodbye, goodbye,'" he said.
His statements came ahead of a planned visit to the White House by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump calls Rutte a "fantastic man" and a "great person." "NATO is a paper tiger. Obviously, we didn't need them because they didn't help at all," Trump said.
Spoils belong to the victor
When asked about his earlier comments today that he would like to take Iran's oil but that Americans want the soldiers to return home, Trump repeated his claim. "If I had a choice, yes, because I am a businessman first and foremost," he said.
He also reflected on the "old days," when war spoils would belong to the "victor." "To the victor go the spoils, the spoils go. And I said, 'Why don't we use it?' To the victor go the spoils, and we don't have that, probably haven't had it in this country for 100 years," Trump said.