Trump’s All-over-the-place Iran War Press Conference Was Thick On Bombing Threats, False Claims And Bragging

What was meant to beryllium a statesmanlike triumph thigh to people nan successful rescue of a downed American airman complete nan play became yet different shape for President Donald Trump to threaten blatant warfare crimes against Iran, upending astir a period of American adherence to world treaties governing equipped conflict betwixt countries.

He was not yet 5 minutes into a stem-winding group of remarks connected nan Iran War from wrong nan White House briefing room connected Monday erstwhile he inexplicably threatened journalists pinch situation position for reporting past week that an American F-15 combatant had been brought down by Iranian fire, necessitating a high-stakes rescue ngo to bring backmost 1 of nan aircraft’s 2 pilots who was astatine ample successful force territory.

“We’re looking very difficult to find that leaker ... they fundamentally said that we person 1 and there's personification missing,” said Trump, who claimed that Iran hadn’t known location was a downed aviator to hunt for until being made alert by reporting successful nan American press.

There was conscionable 1 problem — it wasn’t nan American property who collapsed nan story. It was an Israeli journalist, whose first study of nan collapsed combatant cited Iranian authorities media sources that had posted photographs of nan wreckage and an quiet ejection seat.

Trump’s property convention sewage weirder from there.

As nan president ceded nan level to CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, some went retired of their measurement to praise him for having ordered nan very rescue ngo which American forces train for regularly arsenic if it were an extraordinary task for nan U.S. to expend efforts to retrieve pilots whose training costs millions of dollars and forestall their capture.

Hegseth went moreover further, calling nan threat to nan downed aviator from Iran “impotent” and claiming that immoderate airstrikes are being sent downrange into Iran coming is nan “largest volume” of munitions dropped connected that state since nan warfare began.

It’s a declare he’s made galore times earlier from nan Pentagon briefing room during 1 of his uncommon appearances there.

Eventually, Trump returned to nan halfway of everyone’s attraction arsenic he began taking questions, including 1 query from a newsman who asked him to elaborate connected comments he’d made earlier successful nan time erstwhile he claimed Iranians want him to support dropping bombs connected their neighborhoods to yet weaken and illness nan theocratic authorities that has controlled nan state since 1979.

“They would beryllium consenting to suffer that successful bid to person freedom,” he said arsenic he claimed that nan U.S. has intercepted communications from wrong Iran urging American forces to support going.

The president’s comments travel conscionable complete a time earlier a self-imposed 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline, aft which Trump has threatened to motorboat wholesale attacks connected civilian infrastructure passim Iran, including bridges, powerfulness plants and desalinization plants that proviso nan country’s organization pinch caller water.

He reiterated those threats from nan briefing room podium, telling reporters: “After that, they're gonna person nary bridges, they're gonna person nary powerfulness plants,” he said. “Stone ages.”

But erstwhile pressed specifically astir nan truth that attacks connected civilian targets would violate law-of-war agreements authored and ratified by nan United States aft World War II, Trump was dismissive and attacked nan newsman who asked nan mobility for having nan temerity to beryllium employed by The New York Times, citing long-held grievances complete nan paper’s predetermination coverage.

“I dream I don't person to do it,” he said, moments aft responding “no” erstwhile asked astir whether he was astatine each concerned astir violating longstanding prohibitions against warfare crimes.

He besides suggested that nan U.S. could commencement charging “tolls” for shipping done nan Strait of Hormuz, citing his contention that nan U.S. had “won” nan ongoing war.

His bizarre claims came conscionable aft Iranian officials said they’d rejected a U.S. ceasefire connection moreover arsenic Tehran reviews a Pakistani-authored scheme for an contiguous region successful hostilities sent up of Trump’s deadline.

Esmaeil ⁠Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s overseas ministry, said Iran had ​formulated its positions and demands successful consequence to nan proposals, adding that negotiations were "incompatible pinch ultimatums and threats to perpetrate warfare crimes”.

"Iran does not ‌hesitate to intelligibly definitive what it considers its morganatic demands and doing truthful ⁠should not beryllium interpreted arsenic a motion of compromise, but alternatively arsenic a reflection of its assurance successful defending its positions," Baghaei said successful a property convention earlier successful nan day.

He added that that would merchandise its consequence “in owed time.”