U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday heโs โnot at allโ concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iranโs bridges and power plants if Tehran does not meet his Tuesday 8 p.m. ET deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president refused to say whether any civilian targets would be off-limits.
Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the conflict.
โWe only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we wonโt be attacked again,โ Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press.
Israel and the United States carried out a wave of attacks on Iran on Monday, killing more than 25 people. Iran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors.
Here is the latest:
US special forces were on the ground in Iran as part of rescue mission
The special operators were part of the teams sent in to retrieve the pilot and weapon systems officer of a downed fighter jet, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military operation.
During a briefing Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, โOur special operators, pilots and support crews performed with near perfection under fire,โ but he stopped short of confirming that U.S. troops set foot on Iranian soil.
Hegseth and Trump have said they havenโt ruled out boots on the ground but also repeatedly argued that the conflict was limited in scope.
Hegseth has lambasted previous presidents who oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, insisting that the Iran war โis different. Itโs laser-focused.โ
โ Konstantin Toropin
Shooting by Israel-backed group at a shelter in Gaza is followed by an Israeli strike, killing 8
An Israel-backed armed group in Gaza kidnapped children from a school-turned-shelter on Monday, according to a witness, after which Israel launched an airstrike on the site, health authorities said.
The Israeli military had no response when reached for comment.
An anti-Hamas Palestinian group called Abu Nusseirah posted on social media that they killed five Hamas fighters at the shelter in Maghazi.
An elderly displaced woman sheltering at the school told the AP that dozens of men stormed the site, clashed with people there and forced kids โ including girls โ into vehicles. Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, she said her son was killed in the fighting.
Bodies were taken to al-Aqsa hospital, where health officials said some had been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the school after the clashes. AP footage showed dozens of mourners gathered at the morgue.
Many displaced Palestinians say they fear the Iran war has overshadowed Gazaโs dire humanitarian situation.
3 US troops injured during fighter jet shootdown and rescue
Those injured were the weapon systems officer from the U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet that was shot down in Iran late last week as well as two aircrewmen from a helicopter that took fire during the initial rescue for the pilot from the downed jet.
Thatโs according to a U.S. official, who spoke Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military operation.
After rescuing the pilot, the HH-60 Jolly Green II helicopters were โengaged by every single person in Iran who had a small arms weapon, and one of the aircraft, the trailing aircraft, took several hits,โ said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
At the same White House briefing, Trump said the jetโs downed weapons officer was โbleeding profuselyโ but still able climb mountainous terrain and communicate his location.
โ Konstantin Toropin
A 12-hour drive through Iran offers glimpses of destruction, defiance and daily life
A black banner hangs over a border crossing and portraits of Iranโs killed supreme leader stare down, promising vengeance against the United States and Israel.
But on the 12-hour drive south to the capital, Tehran, daily life continues, with only occasional signs of the ongoing war, including a Shiite religious center that officials say was damaged by a recent airstrike.
Associated Press reporters made the journey on Saturday after crossing into Iran from Turkey. They gained a glimpse of the country at the center of a regional war that has jolted the world economy and shows no sign of ending.
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US stocks drift higher ahead of Trumpโs deadline to bomb Iranian power plants
The S&P 500 rose 0.4% Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5%.
Like stock indexes, oil prices seesawed through the day amid continued uncertainty about what will happen in the war with Iran and how long it will slow the global flow of crude oil.
Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market.
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The US and Egypt are pushing Israel not to strike the main Lebanon-Syria border crossing, official says
Thatโs according to Lebanonโs General Security chief, Hassan Choucair, who said those โongoing contactsโ by Washington and Cairo aim to protect and reopen the Masnaa border crossing.
Itโs been closed since Saturday after Israel warned it could be targeted over alleged weapons smuggling by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Officials in Lebanon and Syria deny that claim, saying vehicles are thoroughly inspected.
The crossingโs closure has forced travelers to take a longer northern route. More than 200,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria since the war escalated five weeks ago, many of them fleeing the conflict.
Trump details the rescue of US airmen shot down in Iran
The United States relied on dozens of aircraft, hundreds of personnel, secret CIA technology and a dose of subterfuge to rescue a two-man F-15E fighter jet crew downed deep inside Iran.
Trump and his top defense aides detailed the daring rescue operation in an unusual level of detail during a news conference at the White House on Monday.
The U.S. surged helicopters, midair refuelers and fighter jets deep into Iran to rescue the pilot within hours. But finding and picking up the jetโs weapon systems officer was a more complicated endeavor.
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Israeli TV station counts down to Trump deadline
As reporters spoke on air, Channel 13 TVโs evening newscast showed a large digital clock marking down the hours and minutes until Tuesday nightโs deadline.
Trump lashes out at Pacific allies for not assisting in Iran fight
The president continued to grumble about NATO alliesโ refusal to get involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and their hesitance to assist U.S. offensive operations against Iran.
As he wrapped up his lengthy news conference Monday, he also fumed about the lack of support from Pacific allies.
โYou know who else didnโt help us? South Korea didnโt help us,โ Trump said. โYou know who else didnโt help us? Australia didnโt help us. You know who else didnโt help us? Japan. Weโve got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea. We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well.โ
Trump says it would take 4 hours to destroy Iranโs bridges and power plants
The president described the consequences that Iran would face if it didnโt reach a deal with the U.S. by Trumpโs 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline.
โWe have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 oโclock tomorrow night,โ Trump said during his Monday news conference.
Power plants in Iran, he continued, would be โburning, exploding and never to be used again.โ
Trump refused to say whether any civilian targets would be off limits in the U.S. response.
UN chief warns the US not to strike Iranโs civilian infrastructure
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the U.S. that attacking civilian infrastructure is banned under international law, his spokesperson said Monday.
โEven if specific civilian infrastructure were to qualify as a military objective,โ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, an attack would still be prohibited if it risks โexcessive incidental civilian harm.โ
A court would need to decide whether such attacks were war crimes, he said.
Trump dismisses that his threatened attacks on Iranโs infrastructure would be war crimes
Trump says heโs โnot at allโ concerned about committing war crimes as he continues to threaten the destruction of Iranโs bridges and power plants if they donโt meet a Tuesday evening deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
โI hope I donโt have to do it,โ Trump added.
Israeli military is preparing for weeks of battle against Iran
The militaryโs chief spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, says the armyโs chief has approved battle plans for the next three weeks in the absence of a ceasefire.
โEvery day that passes, we hit them more and more. Already we have very good achievements, and we want to reach excellent achievements,โ he told a press conference Monday.
Israelโs defense industry to export a $750 million rocket system to Greece
The Israeli and Greek defense ministries signed the four-year export agreement Monday in Athens, said a statement from Israelโs defense ministry.
The Precise & Universal Launching System, is built to launch rockets of different ranges, the statement said.
Israeli defense giant Elbit Systems will supply the rocket launchers and the warheads to Greece. Greek defense industries are expected to produce some parts of the system.
US fighter jet was downed by shoulder-held missile launcher, Trump says
Trump said the F-15E fighter jet that set off a two-day search-and-rescue operation was downed by a shoulder-launched rocket.
Trump described the weapon as a โhand-held shoulder missile โ heat-seeking missile.โ
The president went on to suggest that the fighter jet was ultimately downed not by the explosion but because of related damage to the aircraftโs engines.
โThey shot it and it got sucked in right by the engine,โ Trump said.
Trump insists Iranian civilians want the US to keep bombing
Asked why Iranians would want him to follow up on his threat to blow up the countryโs infrastructure, Trump says everyday citizens are โwilling to suffer … in order to have freedom.โ
โโPlease keep bombing. Do it,โโ Trump claimed U.S. officials have heard Iranians say via โintercepts.โ
โAnd these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding,โ he said.
US warplane that crashed amid search for downed aviators was hit by enemy fire, general says
A U.S. aircraft that crashed amid the search for the downed airmen was hit by enemy fire while engaging Iranian forces, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday.
Caine, speaking at a briefing at the White House, said that a U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft was โviolently suppressing and engaging the enemy in a close-in gunfight to keep them awayโ from the pilot of a downed F-15 fighter jet while also being โprimarily responsible for communicating with the downed pilot.โ
Caine said that after being hit, โthis pilot continued to fight, continued the mission, and then upon exit, flew his aircraft into another country and determined that the airplane was not landable.โ
The pilot then decided to eject over friendly territory and, according to Caine, โwas quickly and safely recovered, and is doing fine.โ
Hegseth describes โunblinkingโ mission in coordination call
The defense secretary said the coordination call held by national security officials during the daring mission to rescue the U.S. airmen lasted nearly two days straight.
โFor 45 hours and 56 minutes, we held that call open for coordination,โ Hegseth said, describing the call that was held in a secure facility. โOur mission was unblinking.โ
CIA Director John Ratcliffe says top-secret technology led to rescue of downed airman
Speaking at a White House press conference, Ratcliffe said the agency used โexquisite technologies that no other intelligence serviceโ possesses to locate the aviator after the F-15 was shot down in Iran.
At the same time, the CIA mounted a deception operation to mislead the Iranians who were looking.
Ratcliffe said the search and rescue operation was โcomparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert.โ
The CIA declined to respond to questions Monday about the kind of technology used to locate the airman.
Hegseth draws parallels between the story of Easter and rescued airman
The Defense secretary, who has frequently infused his leadership of the Pentagon with references to Christianity and the language of his faith, said the airman who evaded capture for more than a day was shot down on Good Friday, โhidden in a caveโ on Saturday, and on Easter Sunday, โa pilot reborn, all home and accounted for.โ
Hegseth said that when the airman was finally able to activate an emergency transponder, his first transmitted message was: โGod is good.โ
Trump threatens to jail journalist who first reported on downed airman
Trump threatened to jail the journalist who first reported that U.S. forces were searching for an F-15 weapons officer shot down in Iran, if they donโt reveal their sources.
โThe person that did the story will go to jail if he doesnโt say, and that doesnโt last long,โ Trump said.
Trump didnโt name the journalist or news organization. He said the leak tipped off the Iranians, endangering the officer and his rescuers. He called the leaker โa sick person.โ
Iranโs supreme leader issues a rare public statement
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei expressed condolences over the killing of the Revolutionary Guardโs intelligence chief.
In a written social media post, Khamenei said Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi joined a โsteadfast line of warriors and fightersโ to sacrifice their lives. Israeli strikes have killed dozens of top Iranian leaders, including Khameneiโs father.
The younger Khamenei has not been seen or spoken in public since he succeeded his father as supreme leader.
Trump offers more details of dramatic airman rescue
The president described the scale of the operation undertaken by the U.S. to rescue the second airman from the downed aircraft.
The operation included 155 aircraft โ four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft, among others, Trump said.
Much of it was an effort to throw off the Iranians, who were also looking for the missing crew member, the president said.
โWe were bringing them all over and a lot of it was subterfuge,โ Trump said. โWe wanted to have them think he was in a different location.โ
Trump says downed officer rushed to get away from the crash site
Trump says the downed weapons officer followed his training to get as far away from the crash site as possible.
When a plane crashes in hostile territory, โthey all head right to that site, you want to be as far away as you can,โ Trump said.
Trump says the officer was โbleeding profuselyโ but was able climb mountainous terrain and contact U.S. forces to communicate his location. Rescuers mobilized a massive response that included subterfuge to confuse the Iranians about where they were looking.
Trump says 21 aircraft came to help rescue airmen who crashed in Iran
The president began describing the rescue efforts from Friday and over the weekend after two airmen ejected and landed alive โdeep in enemy territoryโ in Iran.
Trump said 21 aircraft were deployed to help with the search and rescue in the first wave, flying for hours under โvery, very heavy enemy fire.โ He said the U.S. has one helicopter with many bullets in it.
Trump news conference begins
He is accompanied by his top national security advisers, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Also in attendance are his children, Eric and Tiffany Trump, as well as their spouses.
Declaring that โthis was one of our better Easters,โ Trump started his news conference by speaking about the dramatic rescue of two U.S. airmen in Iran over the weekend.
Trump, with Easter bunny nearby, talks Iran war
In a surreal scene on the White House lawn with flowers and Easter decor, Trump decided to give reporters an update on the Iran war.
With children waiting nearby, someone in a bunny costume steps away, and soft, cheerful music in the background, the president spoke about the rescue of a missing airman shot down in Iran, defended his expletive-laden threats on social media, and warned that Iran should capitulate or face threats to its bridges and power plants.
Turkeyโs president says his country has intensified push to end the war
โWe are striving to seize any chance, however small, for hostilities to cease and negotiations to open,โ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised address following a Cabinet meeting. He did not provide details.
Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel, again accused the country of undermining all attempts to stop the fighting.
Trump defends his use of vulgar language in a social media post
The president used profanity in a Sunday social media posting warning Iran he was serious about targeting the countryโs infrastructure if it doesnโt open the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline. He ended the short post by saying, โPraise be to Allah.โ
Asked by a reporter about his language, Trump responded he used it โonly to make my point.โ
Trump added about his use of an expletive, โI think youโve heard it before.โ
Trump suggests Kurdish groups have held onto guns meant for Iranian protesters
Trump appeared to confirm that the U.S. had intended to arm Iranian protesters after mass demonstrations against the government broke out throughout Iran in late 2025 and continued early into this year.
Thousands of anti-government protesters were killed during the crackdowns by government forces. Fox News reported on Sunday that Trump had told the networkโs Trey Yingst in a telephone interview that Kurdish groups who were supposed to be delivering the U.S.-provided weapons held on to them.
โThey were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs,โ Trump told reporters on Monday about the weapons intended for protesters. โYou know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them because they said, โWhat a beautiful gun. I think Iโll keep it.โ So, Iโm very upset with a certain group of people and theyโre going to pay a big price for that.โ
Trump says heโd prefer to โtake the oilโ
Trump said heโd prefer to use U.S. military power to take control of Iranโs vast oil reserves, but he acknowledged thereโs not much appetite for such a move among the American electorate.
โTake the oil because itโs there for the taking,โ Trump said. โThereโs not a thing they can do about it. Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, Iโd take the oil. Iโd keep the oil. I would make plenty of money.โ
Trump warns Iran theyโre making a mistake by not capitulating
Shortly after state media reported Iran had rejected a ceasefire proposal, Trump offered a new harsh warning to Iran.
โThey just donโt want to say โuncle,โโ Trump told reporters as he and first lady Melania Trump hosted the White House Easter Egg Roll. โThey donโt want to cry as the expression goes โuncle,โ but they will. And if they donโt, Theyโll have no bridges. Theyโll have no power plants. Theyโll have no anything.โ
He added another ominous warning: โI wonโt go further because there are other things that are worse than those two.โ
A regional official involved in the ceasefire talks says the efforts havenโt collapsed
โWe are still talking to both sides,โ he says, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomacy.
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu says petrochemical attack weakens Iranโs Revolutionary Guard
He said Mondayโs strike on an Iranian petrochemical facility is part of a systematic campaign aimed at destroying the Guardโs โmoney machine.โ
โWe are destroying factories, we are eliminating activists and we continue to eliminate senior figures,โ he said in a videotaped statement.
An Iranian university student asks the world: โStop this warโ
A resident of Tehran in his early twenties says U.S.-Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure and Trumpโs intensifying threats have โterrifiedโ people.
โEveryone is very anxious and scared that the water, power and gas will be cut,โ he said, speaking anonymously for his security.
The student first spoke with The Associated Press on the eve of the war, when he participated in anti-government protests at his Tehran universityโs campus. At the time, he described heated disagreements with friends who said they hoped a threatened Israeli-U.S. attack would overthrow the Islamic Republic.
โThose who were supporting the war are no longer supporting it,โ he said Monday.
โ Amir-Hussein Radjy
Key Federal Reserve official open to possible rate hikes amid gas price spikes
Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press that if inflation remains persistently above the Fedโs 2% target, the central bank should consider lifting its benchmark interest rate.
While Hammack also said the Fed might have to cut its rate if higher gas prices caused the economy to slow and unemployment to rise, a potential rate hike is a noticeable shift for the Fed from before the Iran war, when officials forecast two rate cuts this year. A hike could lift longer-term interest rates for things like mortgages and auto loans.
โMy baseline is that weโre on hold for quite some time,โ Hammack said, โbut I can foresee scenarios where we would need to reduce rates … if the labor market deteriorates significantly. Or I could see where we might need to raise rates if inflation stays persistently above our target.โ
Houthis claim they hit military sites in Israel
The Iran-backed Houthis said they launched a barrage of cruise missiles and drones at several military sites in southern Israel, โsuccessfully achieving its objectives,โ according to the groupโs military spokesperson.
Iranโs state-run IRNA news agency says Tehran has rejected the latest ceasefire proposal
The agency said it had has conveyed its response to the U.S. through Pakistan, a key mediator.
โWe wonโt merely accept a ceasefire,โ Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press on Monday. โWe only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we wonโt be attacked again.โ
Israel to ramp up production of air defense interceptors
Israelโs ministry of defense said Monday that the countryโs defense industries would โsignificantly increaseโ production and stockpiling of missile interceptors as the war with Iran stretches on.
In a statement, the ministry said production of missile interceptors for the Arrow system, which defends against long-range ballistic missiles, would be sped up. Arrow has been critical in Israeli air defense during the current war, throughout which Israeli authorities have maintained thereโs no shortage of interceptor missiles.
Israelโs military says it struck 3 Tehran airports overnight
The military says the strikes hit dozens of helicopters and aircraft it said belonged to the Iranian Air Force. It said the strikes targeted Bahram airport, Mehrabad airport and Azmayesh airport.
US-Israeli assault brings โdestruction and bloodshedโ to Iranโs capital, resident says
A resident of central Tehran has described living with โanxiety and fearโ as U.S.-Israeli strikes pummel the capital.
โConstantly, there is the sound of bombs, air defenses, drones,โ she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for her safety.
At least one strike hit near her home, waking her on Wednesday, she said. Rushing into the neighboring street, she saw it โfilled with people in pajamas, some of them wrapped in blankets, some of them crying with fear.โ
She also described her anger at the popular satellite channel, Iran International, which is based abroad. She said its coverage had amplified exiled Iranian voices supporting strikes on the Islamic Republic. โSome people thought war might bring good things, but war doesnโt bring anything but destruction and bloodshed.โ
Iranian authorities have moved to ban any contact with several Persian-language satellite channels based abroad. Many viewers inside Iran say the frequencies are often disrupted.
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