Trump says he is not concerned ‘at all’ that his threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure could amount to war crimes
Trump gave an unclear answer, in response to a question from the New York Times, about whether he is concerned about violating the Geneva convention and committing war crimes and by bombing Iranian energy facilities and bridges.
A reminder that the president has said this will be the likely consequence if Iran doesn’t agree to reopen the strait of Hormuz by Tuesday at 8pm ET.
Initially, Trump said that is not concerned “at all” about breaking international law. But then said he hopes he doesn’t have to launch strikes on civilian infrastructure.
“If you think I’m going to allow them … to have a nuclear weapon, you can tell your friends at the New York Times ‘not going to happen’,” he said, rounding off his muddy response by slamming the paper of record as “failing” and “fake”.
Earlier, Trump claimed that the Iranian people would are “willing to suffer” through the bombing campaign if eventually secured their freedom from the regime.
“All I can tell you is they want freedom. They have lived in a world that you know nothing about. It’s a violent, horrible world,” he added.
Key events
Lucy Campbell
Asked to clarify his comments from earlier in the day regarding his views about seizing Iranian oil, Trump said he would like to seize Iran’s oil. “To the winner belong the spoils,” Trump said.
Referring to Venezuela, where the US captured former leader Nicolás Maduro and the interim leadership has shown a willingness to sell oil to the US and work with the US more closely, he added:
And we have great people running Venezuela, very good people. I mean, the relationship is good, and we are a partner with Venezuela, and we’ve taken hundreds of millions of barrels, hundreds of millions.
Trump said earlier today he wasn’t sure if Americans would be supportive of him doing similar with Iran’s oil.
It’s worth noting that while the president continued to praise the US military for its rescue mission of two pilots in the F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, he also revealed that a “handheld shoulder missile” was ultimately responsible for downing the plane. Trump said that the regime got “lucky” as their shot “got sucked in right by the engine”.
While taking questions from reporters, Trump said that he was unhappy with the idea of Iran charging tolls for passage of cargo ships and oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz. He then floated the idea of the US charging levies. “Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner,” he said, without elaborating how this would work in practice. “We have a concept where we’ll charge tolls.”
When asked about his conflicting messages about the status of the war on Iran, the president said he doesn’t know whether a ceasefire is imminent.
“They have ’til tomorrow. Now we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “I can tell you they’re negotiating, we think in good faith, we’re going to find out. We’re getting the help of some incredible countries that want this to be ended, because it affects them also.”
He went on to say that in order for Iran to successfully meet his deadline on Tuesday evening, the regime will need to have a deal that’s “acceptable” to the president, and part of that deal must include the reopening of the strait of Hormuz.
Trump says he is not concerned ‘at all’ that his threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure could amount to war crimes
Trump gave an unclear answer, in response to a question from the New York Times, about whether he is concerned about violating the Geneva convention and committing war crimes and by bombing Iranian energy facilities and bridges.
A reminder that the president has said this will be the likely consequence if Iran doesn’t agree to reopen the strait of Hormuz by Tuesday at 8pm ET.
Initially, Trump said that is not concerned “at all” about breaking international law. But then said he hopes he doesn’t have to launch strikes on civilian infrastructure.
“If you think I’m going to allow them … to have a nuclear weapon, you can tell your friends at the New York Times ‘not going to happen’,” he said, rounding off his muddy response by slamming the paper of record as “failing” and “fake”.
Earlier, Trump claimed that the Iranian people would are “willing to suffer” through the bombing campaign if eventually secured their freedom from the regime.
“All I can tell you is they want freedom. They have lived in a world that you know nothing about. It’s a violent, horrible world,” he added.
Trump says there was pushback over rescue mission
The president told reporters today that not every senior military official was on board with the mission over the weekend to rescue two crew members. He noted that some warned him against the operation.
Trump asked the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, Dan Caine, how many officers he sent into Iran for the rescue mission.
“I’d love to keep that a secret,” Caine said, before the briefing room erupted with laughter, including from the president.
“I was told that this is a very dangerous mission,” the president said. “They said, you know, we’re going to be sacrificing hundreds of people do this.”
Trump insisted that his administration has a strategy for the ongoing operation in Iran, despite concerns that there is no clear plan.
“I have the best plan of all, but I’m not going to tell you what my plan is,” he said. “Every every single thing has been thought out by all of us. But I can’t reveal the plan to the media.”
Trump threatens to jail journalist who broke story of missing second airman
Lucy Campbell
Trump is once again angry at news media, and says US authorities are trying to identify the journalist who “leaked” information that a second airman was stranded in Iran after the first one was rescued.
He says Iran wasn’t aware of the status of the second pilot prior to the report, which made the US rescue operation “much more difficult”.
Trump says US authorities would demand the media company that published the story to provide the identity of the “leaker” – whom he called “a sick person” – or face prosecution.
We’re looking very hard to find that leaker. We think we’ll be able to find it out because we’re going to go to the media company that released it and we’re going to say: ‘National security – give it up or go to jail’.
“They put this mission at great risk,” he says.
It isn’t clear which publication Trump is threatening.
Lucy Campbell
Oil prices have begun to rise since Trump’s press conference began. US crude oil leapt from $112 to about $114 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, which had been roughly flat for the day, rose too.
Hegseth noted that today will will be “the largest volume of strikes” on Iran since day one of Operation Epic Fury.
The defense secretary reiterated Trump’s threat to Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz or risk the destruction of civilian infrastructure. “Iran has a choice,” Hegseth noted. “Choose wisely, because this president does not play around.”
Speaking to reporters now, Pete Hegseth recounted the weekend’s rescue mission of two air force officers. The defense secretary was typically bellicose in his remarks. “When our warriors are unleashed, as this president has allowed them to be, they are unstoppable,” Hegseth said, before comparing the second crew member to Jesus Christ.
“Shot down on a Friday, Good Friday, hidden in a cave a crevice all of Saturday … flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday, a pilot reborn,” the defense secretary added.
At Donald Trump’s press conference today, his son Eric Trump, son-in-law and special envoy Steve Witkoff and defense secretary Pete Hegseth are also in the White House briefing room.
Lucy Campbell
Trump adds that as part of the weekend’s rescue mission, the military deployed 155 aircraft, four bombers, 64 fighters, 48 refuelling tankers and 13 rescue aircraft.
He says they exited the territory with the airman, who had been stranded for almost 48 hours, without taking any casualties.
The president is going into detail describing the rescue mission over the weekend, and complimenting US service members throughout.
“The genius is not even talent. It’s genius. It’s the whole ballgame, every one of them,” Trump said.
Earlier, the president said that Iran “can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night” – reiterating his deadline of 8pm ET Tuesday for the regime to reopen the strait of Hormuz or face further strikes on energy facilities and bridges.
The president kicked off his remarks discussing the rescue mission of the two air force officers after a US F-15 fighter jet was downed over Iran last week.
Trump said that both members of the crew ejected from the aircraft, and landed alive on Iranian soil.
“The flight crews and war fighters aboard those aircraft took extraordinary risks to rescue their fellow service members,” the president added, noting that the second officer was injured quite badly and stranded in an area “teeming with terrorists from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)”.
Donald Trump is now speaking in the White House briefing room.
I’ll bring you the latest lines here.