06 April 2026
17:57 GMT
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth says “today” will see the largest wave of US strikes on Iran since the operation began, warning that the campaign will “escalate further.”
17:56 GMT
Trump says US forces have conducted more than 13,000 strikes in Iran since the war began, including over 10,000 combat flights in the past 37 days, calling the tempo “unheard of.” Over 2,000 people, including women and children, have reportedly been killed since the launch of the US‑Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic on February 28, with more than 26,500 injured.
17:43 GMT
Trump says US authorities are trying to identify the person who “leaked” that a second F‑15 crew member was still stranded in Iran after the first was rescued, claiming Tehran was unaware of his status before the report and that this made the operation “much more difficult.” He warned that officials will demand the outlet that published the story reveal its source or face prosecution, saying: “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’.”
17:32 GMT
Trump has used the Iran rescue missions to praise US special forces and hardware, comparing them to the commando raid in which US troops seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas three months ago. He said forces stormed a “massive compound with thousands and thousands of soldiers” and broke through “steel doors” within minutes, adding that in such missions “you don’t come out like we came out” and claiming “God was watching us” over Easter as helicopters returned despite heavy damage.
17:30 GMT
The second rescue mission involved 155 US aircraft, according to Trump, including four bombers, 64 fighter jets, 48 refuelling tankers and 13 rescue aircraft.
17:20 GMT
Trump has used the F‑15 rescue operation to tout US military power, declaring that “nobody has the equipment that we have, and nobody has the military that we have, not even close.” Speaking at the White House, he said flight crews “took extraordinary risks” to reach the downed jet, adding that the pilot was located “in enemy territory” and extracted by an HH‑60 Jolly Green II helicopter.
17:19 GMT
Trump has claimed the US war with Iran is going well and that US forces could “take out” the whole country in a single night.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night,” said Trump. “And that night might be tomorrow night.”
Trump: The entire country of Iran can be taken out in one night, and that night can be tomorrow