Trump warns Iran deadline became the central message from the White House on Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran must agree to a deal by Tuesday night or face broader bombing raids. Trump said Iran needed to forswear nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
At a White House press conference, Trump said the United States could take out the entire country in one night and suggested that action could come as soon as the following evening. He also said he hoped such a step would not be necessary.
Trump had already set a Tuesday night deadline for Iran to accept a ceasefire arrangement or face attacks on power plants and other critical infrastructure. Critics argued that striking civilian power plants could amount to war crimes, but Trump rejected that criticism.
Speaking earlier at a White House Easter event, Trump said Iran had made what he called a significant proposal. However, he added that the offer still fell short of what Washington wanted. He also said the five-week conflict could end quickly if Iran did what it had to do.
Trump warns media organizations: identify the person who leaked details of the Iran rescue operation or face jail time, calling the leak a national security threat. pic.twitter.com/d0Iod9TQht
— Red Marker – پیرِ ٹویٹر (@RedMarkar) April 6, 2026Pentagon signals heavier strikes
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Monday would bring the largest volume of strikes since the operation began. He also warned that Tuesday would bring even more.
Those remarks reinforced Trump’s warning and suggested that Washington may expand military pressure if diplomacy fails before the deadline expires.
Trump also used the appearance to describe a weekend U.S. operation to recover a downed American airman in mountainous Iranian terrain. He said the pilot, identified only as “Dude 44 Bravo,” avoided capture by climbing higher to improve rescue chances.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump tells reporters that 8 P.M. Tuesday is his final deadline to Iran pic.twitter.com/HPqOMdiMA7
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 6, 2026CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the agency carried out a deception campaign to mislead Iranian forces about the airman’s location. Trump said U.S. forces later entered the real area, engaged enemy forces, recovered the stranded officer, and exited Iranian territory without casualties. General Dan Caine added that the recovered officer had served as the back seater on the downed aircraft.
Read: IRGC Confirms Intelligence Chief Killed in Tehran Airstrike
Trump claimed, without providing evidence, that the United States had intercepted communications from Iranian civilians urging Washington not to stop pressuring the Iranian government. He said those civilians would accept suffering if it meant gaining freedom.
That claim came alongside his insistence that Iran had negotiated in what he described as good faith, even though he dismissed Tehran’s latest proposal as insufficient.
