Trump cheers rescue of downed airmen as new Iran deadline looms

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Apr 6, 2026

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President Donald Trump on Monday celebrated the rescue of two downed American airmen as his latest deadline looms for Iran to agree to a ceasefire deal or get blown “back to the Stone Ages” by a new wave of attacks.

Trump hailed the high-stakes operation that plucked the two Air Force pilots out of a remote mountainous area of Iran where their F-15 fighter jet was shot down.

The president also threatened to unleash devastating new attacks on Iran if reported high-stakes negotiations with Tehran fail to reach a ceasefire deal.

“The entire country could be taken out in one night. And that night could be (Tuesday) night,” Trump said.

Although Iran has publicly rejected the talks, Trump asserted they are making progress.

“They have made a very significant step,” Trump said earlier on the sidelines of the annual Easter egg roll. “They’re negotiating and we’ll see what happens.”

Trump set a Tuesday evening deadline for Iran’s leaders to agree to a ceasefire and reopen the Straits of Hormuz, although he has moved back the deadline several times.

Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators have sent Iran and the U.S. a proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Straits of Hormuz.

Neither Iran nor the U.S. has responded to the proposal, sent late Sunday night to both Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump has swung wildly from demanding at times that Iran reopen the straits immediately to saying he could end the war without it being reopened.

He has sounded increasingly angry in recent days, especially in a profanity-laced Easter Sunday social media post.

“Open the F---in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell,” he wrote on his social media site, adding “Praise be to Allah,” apparently mocking Islam.

He later posted a single line saying “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time,” apparently extending the Monday deadline by another day.

Tehran has shown no signs of backing down from its stranglehold on shipping through the strait, which was fully open before Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war.

The straits’ closure has sent oil prices soaring by about 50% and U.S. gasoline prices have risen by more than $1 a gallon to an average of more than $4 and exceeding $5 per gallon in parts of California, Washington and Hawaii.

Trump has boasted that Iran’s military has been decimated by the six-week conflict and that the U.S. has all but eliminated its ability to fight back or defend itself.

But Iran has proved more resilient and has continued to lob missiles and drones at Israel and its pro-American neighbors in the Persian Gulf.

The downing of the American fighter jet last week marked a major military achievement for Iran although the U.S. rescue avoided what could have been an ugly hostage drama if Iranian forces had captured one of the airmen who parachuted from the doomed plane.

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