Trump warns Iran he may strike 'every power plant' as deadline to reopen Hormuz nears

Claims from Iran that it attacked and struck a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship with missiles are false, authorities said.

The Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck the USS Tripoli, forcing it to withdraw from the region to the southern Indian Ocean, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"FACT: USS Tripoli has not been attacked and continues to sail in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury," a CENTCOM post on X states.

"The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about 3,500 Sailors and Marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets."

President Donald Trump called out NATO, and several countries for not assistant U.S. forces in the war with Iran.

In a sharp rebuke of NATO, Trump called the intergovernmental military alliance of 32 member states, a "paper tiger."

He further criticized, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

"We've got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea," Trump said. "We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un."

"Japan didn't help us or Australia didn't help us," he added. "South Korea didn't help us. And then you get to NATO. NATO didn't help us. There were some countries that did."

He cited help from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

God is supporting the United States in its war with Iran, President Donald Trump said.

"God is good," Trump said. "Because God is good, and God wants to see people taking care of, God doesn't like what's happening."

""I don't like what's happening," he added. "Everyone says I enjoy it," Trump said. "I don't enjoy this...I don't like seeing people killed."

Nearly a dozens U.S. military aircraft flew into Iran under enemy fire to rescue two downed military personnel after their fighter jet was shot down.

"This first wave of search and rescue forces successfully located the pilot of the F-15, and he was extracted from enemy territory by an HH 60 Jolly Green II helicopter, fabulous machine, as our warriors faced gunfire at very close range," Trump said. "It's amazing that when you look at the machinery, what happened that nobody was even injured. Meanwhile, the second crew member, weapon system officer, a highly respected colonel, had landed a significant distance away from the pilot."

In total, the U.S. sent in more than 150 aircraft, Trump said, which took on "very, very heavy enemy fire" during the rescue operation. Several different teams: Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Operations, Army Special Operations Aviation, search and rescue and combat medics, also took part.

"This was an incredibly dangerous mission, an incredibly dangerous undertaking," Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said Monday at the White House press briefing. 

"When you're going at those speeds, even if you go out 2 or 3 seconds later, it's miles," said Trump. "It's miles and miles away because you're going fast. He was injured quite badly and stranded in an area teeming with terrorists from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rough group, as well as beseiged military militia and local authorities."

"Many, on top of everything else they told the communities actually within sight of Iran, the people of Iran, they were given a tremendous incentive to find this pilot," he added. "Despite the peril, the officer followed his training and climbed into the treacherous mountain terrain and started climbing toward a higher altitude, something they were trained to do in order to evade capture."

One of the two crew members was flown to Landstuhl regional medical center in Germany, typically the first stop for U.S. soldiers wounded in combat zones, and the other is being flown there Monday, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.

As the rescue unfolded Easter Sunday, the pilot radioed a brief message to help U.S. forces identify him: "God is good," officials said.

This post contains an excerpt from an article by Morgan Phillips and Jennifer Griffin.

President Donald Trump on Monday suggested the United States could charge tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking with reporters, Trump was asked about Iran possibly charging tolls for ships to pass through the waterway.

"What about us charging tolls? he asked in response.

"I'd rather do that then let them have them, right?" he added. "Why shouldn't we? We're the winner. We won, okay. They are militarily defeated. The only thing they have is the psychology of, oh, 'we're going to drop a couple of mines in the water.'"

Slain Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani was planning to target at least five military bases before he was killed in a 2020 airstrike, President Donald Trump said Monday.

"I heard he was going to knock out five of our military bases," Trump told reporters. "And had he lived, I believe we would we would be fighting a different Iran right now."

Soleimani was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, which escalated tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as well as in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump claimed Iranians seeking freedom from the nation's regime are urging him to "please keep bombing" on Monday.

Trump made the comment during a press conference at the White House where he touted the successful rescue of two U.S. airmen who were shot down over Iran this weekend.

Trump said earlier on Monday that Iran's regime would be overthrown in "two days" if the Iranian people were armed. Officials in Tehran have threatened to kill anyone who demonstrates against he regime, Trump said.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. is continuing to ramp up attacks on Iran at President Donald Trump's order on Monday.

Hegseth said the U.S. has already carried out over 10,000 strike missions against Iran since the war began. He says Monday will be the largest volume of attacks yet, however.

"By the way, per the president's direction, today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one of this operation. Tomorrow, even more than today. And then Iran has a choice. Choose wisely, because this president does not play around. You can ask Soleimani, you can ask Maduro. You can ask Khamenei," Hegseth said.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. outmaneuvered and misdirected a "vast military operation" by Iran aiming to capture a missing U.S. airman this weekend.

Trump said more than 150 U.S. aircraft were involved in the rescue operation, with many of those serving merely as distractions to divert Iran's attention.

The president made the comments during a press conference at the White House on Monday afternoon, adding that he is confident Iran could be "taken out in one night."

"The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said.

The U.S. is currently engaged in talks with Iran through Pakistani mediators as the final hours of Trump's 48-hour window to make a deal tick down.

Trump vowed on Sunday that the U.S. would begin targeting Iran's power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened before Tuesday.

The missing crew member who was rescued from Iran on Sunday broadcasted "God is good" on encrypted radio after ejecting from his aircraft, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News Digital.

The weapons systems officer hiked and climbed more than 7,000 feet in the hours before he was rescued, despite sustaining minor injuries to his legs during the ejection. The officer made his way to a ridgeline and hid in a crevice where he was eventually rescued.

The officer, who has yet to be identified, remains in good condition and is scheduled to be transported to an American base in Landstuhl, Germany on Monday.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warned in his annual letter to shareholders that the war in Iran could lead to more stubborn inflation as well as higher interest rates than what the market is currently anticipating.

Dimon's letter was released Monday in conjunction with JPMorgan's annual report for 2025 and said that the Iran war may cause energy shocks along with disruptions to global supply chains that could cause inflation to remain higher than expected.

Inflation that persists above the Federal Reserve's 2% and rises further from its already elevated level could also prompt the central bank to raise interest rates to slow the pace of price growth.

"Now, because of the war in Iran, we additionally face the potential for significant ongoing oil and commodity price shocks, along with the reshaping of global supply chains, which may lead to stickier inflation and ultimately higher interest rates than markets currently expect," Dimon wrote.

Dimon said that the foremost risks facing financial markets and the economy are geopolitical in nature, including the Iran war and Russia's war in Ukraine, as both conflicts have an "impact on countries and economies across the globe that are not directly involved in war."

"Nations that are heavily dependent upon imported energy are already seeing the effects. And it's not just energy, it's commodity products that are byproducts of oil and gas, like fertilizer and helium. And given our complex global supply chains, countries are experiencing disruptions in shipbuilding, food and farming, among others," Dimon wrote.

"The outcome of current geopolitical events may very well be the defining factor in how the future global economic order unfolds – then again, it may not," he added.

Fox News' Eric Revell contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Iran negotiators made "a significant proposal, a significant step," following the ultimatum he issued on Easter Sunday, but it is not "good enough."

"They made a proposal, and it's a significant proposal, a significant step," Trump told reporters at the Easter Egg Roll on Monday, a White House tradition that comes amid the backdrop of war.

"It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump continued. "They are negotiating now. And they have made a very significant step. We'll see what happens."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Eric Mack.

President Donald Trump claimed Monday that the Iranian people would overthrow their government in "two days" if they had weapons.

Trump made the statement while speaking to the press at the White House, adding that the U.S. sent weapons to Iran earlier in the conflict.

Trump said his administration sent weapons to the Kurds and asked them to arm the Iranian people, but he said the Kurds kept the weapons.

As it stands, Trump said Iranians critical of the country's regime are too afraid to protest.

"They've been told, point blank, if you come out you'll be killed," Trump said.

President Donald Trump  hailed the rescue of a missing U.S. airman from a downed F-15E in Iran as an "Easter Miracle," after U.S. forces recovered the second crew member following a high-risk mission behind enemy lines.

"The rescue was an Easter Miracle. The enemy was large and violent. The rescuers were brilliant, strong, decisive, and as cool as anyone can be," Trump told NBC host Kristen Welker. "Such a rescue has never happened before in so violent an enemy territory. It is usually not done because it is considered not doable."

The rescue followed the downing of the F-15, which triggered a multi-day search operation inside Iran. U.S. forces had already recovered the first crew member before locating the second, who had been missing in mountainous terrain as large numbers of Iranian forces searched the area.

The rescue followed the downing of the F-15, which triggered a multi-day search operation inside Iran. U.S. forces had already recovered the first crew member before locating the second, who had been missing in mountainous terrain as large numbers of Iranian forces searched the area.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' CJ Womack.

Gas prices are continuing to climb as the ongoing conflict with Iran drives up crude oil costs, pushing prices higher at the pump nationwide.

The national average now stands at $4.11 per gallon, up about 86 cents from a month ago, according to AAA. Costs are climbing across nearly every region, with some states already well above the U.S. average.

On the West Coast, drivers are seeing the highest costs, with prices reaching $5.92 per gallon in California and $5.37 in Washington. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, gas prices have surpassed $4 in several areas, including $4.27 in Washington, D.C., and $4.06 in New York. 

In the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.29 per gallon, while much of the region remains in the mid-$3 range. Southern states remain comparatively cheaper, though prices are rising there as well. Texas and South Carolina are both averaging about $3.82, while Florida is higher at $4.20.

Diesel has climbed to $5.61, up about $1.45 over the past month. As a key fuel for freight, shipping, and public transportation, it is particularly sensitive to refining capacity constraints and global supply disruptions.

In San Francisco, prices have surged even higher. For the first time on record, average diesel costs have surpassed $8 per gallon, according to new data from GasBuddy — marking an unprecedented milestone for any U.S. city.

The climbing fuel costs come as President Donald Trump issued a profanity-laced warning to Iran, giving the regime until Tuesday to allow vessels through the key waterway — or face strikes on its critical infrastructure.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox Business' Amanda Macias.

Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman said on "The Sunday Briefing" that a reported agency deception campaign may have helped draw Iranian forces away from a missing U.S. airman, offering new insight into the mission that culminated in a daring rescue behind enemy lines.

It was reported that the CIA attempted to deceive the Iranians into believing the U.S. was gearing up for a maritime rescue, Hoffman said, when in reality, the airman was exfiltrated from the mountains.

The CIA also assisted in tracking both the missing airman and enemy forces, he said.

"The CIA was there to track [the airman's] location... And then at the same time, the CIA is tracking Iranian security forces, their movements, their efforts to find and fix the location of our airman. And then, at the same time, running this deception operation, an extraordinary operation."

"I've heard it referred to as looking for a needle in a haystack. I think it's more like a needle in a stack of needles. Extraordinarily difficult," said Hoffman.

His comments follow the rescue early Sunday morning of a U.S. Air Force Weapons System Officer (WSO) who had ejected from his F-15E fighter jet over Iran. The WSO spent roughly 36 hours in hiding. Hoffman said he would need to rely on the skills he learned at the military's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school.

Israel announced that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Majid Khademi was killed in a precision strike, with an Israeli official noting that Quds Force’s special operations commander Asghar Bagheri was eliminated at the same time.

In a statement posted on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Khademi's killing, accusing him of helping advance terrorist attacks abroad and overseeing surveillance of Iranian civilians as part of the regime’s crackdown on domestic protests.

"Khademi wasn’t just any figure, he was effectively No. 2 within the IRGC, one of the few senior commanders who managed to survive multiple waves of Israeli and American targeting over the past year — until now," a senior Israeli official told Fox News. "He kept moving, relocating, but ultimately he was hunted down and eliminated.

"He oversaw an intelligence apparatus that repeatedly failed to detect or prevent major Israeli and U.S. operations, including a series of strategic surprises that exposed deep vulnerabilities inside Iran’s security system."

Notably, Khademi was "deeply involved in attempts to penetrate U.S. systems, including efforts to breach the Pentagon," and "coordinated extensively with Russia," according to the official.

"His removal marks a significant blow to Iran’s intelligence leadership at a time when the regime is already under sustained pressure," the official added.

Bagheri was also killed at the same time as the strike that took out Khademi, the official noted, but the IDF has yet to officially confirm his killing.

"Bagheri was directly involved in recruiting agents across the Middle East and orchestrating attacks against American targets in Iraq and Syria — including operations that led to U.S. casualties," the senior official told Fox News.

Khademi spent decades in intelligence and counter-espionage roles while rising through Iran’s security apparatus.

Before his appointment, Khademi headed the Guard's Intelligence Protection Organization, charged with internal surveillance and counter-intelligence, and held senior roles in Iran’s defense ministry.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Eric Mack.

For Mehdi Ghadimi, the ideology behind Iran’s ruling system  is not theoretical. It was something he was taught from childhood.

"You were told you are a part a small group chosen by God… to revive God’s religion and fight to defend it," the Iranian journalist told Fox News Digital, describing the message repeated in schools, mosques and state media.

That early indoctrination, he said, framed the world in stark terms: a divine struggle between good and evil, with Iran’s leadership positioned at the center of a religious mission.

Iran’s ruling system is often described in political terms, but critics and former insiders say its core is far more radical — a belief structure rooted in religious absolutism, messianic expectation and a worldview that leaves little room for compromise.

As a new generation of commanders rises within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following recent military blows under Operation Epic Fury, analysts warn that this ideology may become even more entrenched.

Figures such as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Ahmad Vahidi are often cited as part of a cohort shaped by years of conflict in Iraq and across the region — one that sees religion, security and survival as inseparable.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., argued that President Donald Trump's threats to attack Iranian's energy infrastructure would constitute a "war crime" this weekend.

Trump on Sunday vowed to strike Iran's transportation infrastructure and power plants if the regime does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Merkley argued in a post on X that such attacks would be war crimes, and he went on to say military leaders should "refuse" such orders.

"President Trump's profanity-laden Easter threat to attack Iran's civilian infrastructure—power plants and bridges—are the words of a frustrated and immoral madman. Many experts agree that such attacks would be war crimes under international law," Merkley wrote.

"To our military leaders, remember this: You are legally required to refuse orders to commit war crimes," he added.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver an update on the war against Iran from the White House on Monday.

Trump says he will hold a press conference along with members of the military at 1 p.m. ET.

The conference lands around the time Trump's 48-hour window for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is set to close. He has vowed to target Iran's power plants and transportation infrastructure on Tuesday if Iran does not strike a deal.

Nevertheless, Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials have spent the weekend in talks with the Iranian regime, with Pakistan acting as mediator. It is unclear whether a deal can be made before the deadline arrives.

President Donald Trump says the war with Iran is "nearing completion," but a looming deadline could determine whether the conflict is actually ending — or about to escalate.

"We are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close," Trump said Wednesday night, adding that U.S. forces will "hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks" and "bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong."

As the war enters what analysts describe as its final phase, the administration is signaling a shift from broad military gains to a narrower endgame — raising questions about what "finishing the job" actually means militarily and politically.

Trump gave Iran until Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that failure to comply could trigger sweeping strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure.

"If no deal is made … we are going to hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants, very hard and probably simultaneously," he said.

"With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???" he said on Truth Social Friday. 

The U.S. has already begun expanding its target set to include major infrastructure. This week, American strikes hit one of Iran’s largest bridges — a critical transportation artery — signaling that mixed-use infrastructure supporting military logistics is now firmly on the table.

"The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."

That raises a central question heading into the final weeks: what, exactly, would "finishing the job" look like?

Military analysts say it is unlikely to be a single decisive strike. Instead, the endgame may unfold as a series of escalating options — from intensified attacks on Iran’s remaining missile and drone network, to broader strikes on infrastructure designed to force the regime into a deal, or a longer-term strategy of containing Iran’s capabilities from above.

"We will continue to see very aggressive attrition of offensive and defensive targets, as well as infrastructure targets," said RP Newman, a retired Marine ground combat veteran and counterterrorism consultant.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Morgan Phillips.

Israeli Defense Forces released images of an Iranian airstrike in Haifa that killed four people on Monday.

The IDF says rescue workers recovered the bodies of four people trapped in the rubble after an Iranian missile struck a residential building on Sunday.

"After many hours of intensive efforts and operations by the National Rescue Unit (NRU), alongside forces from the Haifa District and the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade, and in cooperation with emergency organizations and firefighters, four individuals who had been trapped under the rubble were recovered from the scene deceased," the IDF said in a statement.

"Rescue forces, including rescuers, population officers, rescue physicians, and rescue intelligence officers - employed advanced rescue equipment and various technological means at the scene in order to locate the trapped individuals as quickly as possible," the statement continued.

A Pakistan-brokered plan to halt hostilities between the U.S. and Iran could take effect as soon as Monday, according to a source familiar with the talks.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has been in contact “all night long” with Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the source told Reuters.

The proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire—reopening the Strait of Hormuz—followed by 15 to 20 days of negotiations on a broader agreement. The framework, dubbed the “Islamabad Accord,” would include final talks in Islamabad.

Iran has not yet agreed to the deal. The push comes as rising tensions threaten global energy markets, with President Donald Trump urging a swift resolution.

Reuters contributed to this report.