US President Donald Trump on Sunday ratcheted up pressure on Iran, threatening in an expletive-laden Easter Sunday social media post to target Iran's power plants and bridges on Tuesday if the strategic Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.

"Tuesday ⁠will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!" Trump said in a Truth Social post, referencing the vital shipping lane that Tehran has effectively closed since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran more than a month ago.

"Open the ******* Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!" Trump said, ending his Easter morning post with: "Praise be to Allah."

Later on Sunday, the president in a follow-up post gave a more precise deadline: "Tuesday, 8:00 PM Eastern Time!"

The White House did not respond to a question on whether Trump was indicating a time when the US would attack Iran.

Trump's threats follow an intense 48-hour rescue operation for two US pilots inside Iran. Trump said in an earlier Sunday social media post that the second pilot rescued was "seriously wounded" and is a "highly respected Colonel."

"The rescue was an Easter Miracle," Trump said in a text message to NBC News' "Meet the Press" ⁠on Sunday before heading to his Washington golf club.

"Such a rescue has never happened before in so violent an enemy territory."

In at least seven ⁠Sunday interviews, Trump continued his threats against Iran as ⁠he pushed for concessions. He told Fox News that Iran is negotiating and that a deal is possible on Monday, but if not, he will "take" the country's oil.

In an interview with ABC News, Trump said the conflict should be over in days, not weeks, but if not, "we're blowing up the whole country" and ⁠there is "very little" off the table.

The president also posted online that he will hold a Monday news conference with the US military from the Oval Office.

Last week, the president said the US would carry out aggressive strikes on Iran over the next two to three weeks and is nearing completion of its main strategic objectives in the war.

He has repeatedly said since the operation started on February 28 that Iran wants to make a deal, although its leadership has not shown a willingness to comply with Trump's demands.

On Sunday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned ⁠that attacks against US economic interests in the region would be intensified if attacks on civilian targets in Iran are repeated.

Trump's Easter warning targeting Iranian power plants and bridges follows a threat to hit desalination plants, which some international law experts said could violate international humanitarian law.

US Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, urged Trump to "please dial back the rhetoric."

On "Meet the Press" Kaine said Trump's language was "embarrassing and juvenile" and raised the risk for US service members.

"Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness," former US Representative Marjorie Taylor ⁠Greene, a Georgia Republican who was one of Trump's most vocal defenders before her recent resignation, said online about the president's language.

In a statement posted on Instagram, the Council of American-Islamic Relations said: "The casual use of 'Praise be to Allah' in the context of violent threats reflects a disturbing willingness to weaponise religious language while simultaneously denigrating Islam and its followers."

Thirteen US service members have died and hundreds of others have been wounded throughout the Middle East since the US and Israel launched the war more than a month ago. Iran responded by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global oil transport, leading to sharply higher oil and gasoline costs for consumers around the world. (Reuters)



Edited by Cecil Wong