Donald Trump live address: US President Trump started his press conference by praising the US rescue operation over the weekend.
Accompanied by his top national security team, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and special envoy Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump was also joined by his children Eric and Tiffany Trump along with their spouses.
Calling it “one of our better Easters,” Trump opened the press conference by highlighting the dramatic rescue of two US airmen in Iran over the weekend.
"We're here today to celebrate the success of one of the largest, most complex, most harrowing, combat searches, I guess you would call it a search-and-rescue mission, ever attempted by the military," he said.
He also said: "The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night."
The US President has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it does not make a deal by 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday (midnight GMT) to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The briefing comes amid rising tensions, with Trump warning of potential strikes on Iranian infrastructure if Tehran fails to comply.
The developments unfold against a backdrop of escalating US-Israel-Iran conflict and ongoing domestic challenges, including a prolonged government shutdown and political divisions in Washington.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest developments as the event unfolds. 23:29 IST
“Like finding a grain of sand” — CIA on hunt for missing pilot CIA Director John John Ratcliffe says agency used “exquisite technologies” to locate downed US airman
-Claims capabilities are unmatched by any other intelligence service
-Operation launched after F-15 fighter jet was shot down in Iran
CIA director says it also ran a deception campaign to mislead Iranian search efforts
Ratcliffe compares mission to “hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert”
Highlights extreme difficulty of locating the stranded aviator
23:27 IST
“For 45 hours and 56 minutes” — Hegseth on nonstop rescue coordination The defense secretary said the coordination call held by national security officials during the daring mission to rescue the U.S. airmen lasted nearly two days straight.
“For 45 hours and 56 minutes, we held that call open for coordination,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, describing the call that was held in a secure facility. “Our mission was unblinking.”
Hegseth continued, “the meeting never stopped. The planning never ceased.”
23:23 IST
“Tomorrow, even more than today” — Hegseth signals intensified strikes US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday is expected to see the largest wave of strikes yet since the U.S. campaign in Iran began.
"Tomorrow, even more than today. And Iran has a choice. Choose wisely because this president does not play around."
23:21 IST
“We confused the Iranians” — CIA Director Ratcliffe details covert rescue effort CIA Director John Ratcliffe told reporters the agency executed "a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians who were desperately hunting for our airmen."
"We achieved our primary objective by finding and providing confirmation that one of America's best and bravest was alive and concealed in a mountain crevice, still invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA," Ratcliffe said.
23:18 IST
“Scaled cliffs while bleeding” — Trump recounts dramatic survival of airman “Despite the peril, the officer followed his training … climbing toward a higher altitude,” Trump said.
He revealed that the officer scaled cliffs while “bleeding rather profusely” and treated his own wounds before managing to contact US forces.
The airman used a “very sophisticated beeper-type apparatus” to transmit his location, which Trump said “saved his life.”
23:17 IST
“Teeming with terrorists” — Trump on stranded US airman in Iran According to Trump, the injured officer — a colonel — landed far from the first rescued pilot and was left isolated in a highly dangerous environment.
“He was injured quite badly and stranded in an area teeming with terrorists from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps … as well as besieged military, militia and local authorities,” Trump said.
23:14 IST
Trump says US rescue mission for second airman involved 155 aircraft Trump details масштаб of US rescue mission for second airman
Operation involved 155 aircraft in total
Included 4 bombers, 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, and 13 rescue aircraft
Mission designed to recover crew member from downed aircraft in hostile territory
Significant use of deception tactics to mislead Iranian forces
“A lot of it was subterfuge,” Trump says
US aimed to create false locations to divert Iranian search efforts
23:10 IST
Trump threatens media with jail over Iran rescue leak Trump says he will seek identity of leak source from media organization
"They put this mission at great risk. They put that man at great risk," Trump said.
"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' ... When they did that, all of a sudden the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life."
23:08 IST
Trump says Iran offered reward for capture of second airman after info leak Trump claimed that once the information surfaced, Iran issued a public alert offering a reward for the capture of the remaining pilot.
“The country Iran put out a major notice … offering a very big award for anybody that captures the pilot,” he said.
“We had millions of people trying to get an award … in addition to a hostile, very talented, very good, very evil military.”
23:07 IST
Trump claims leak exposed second airman Donald Trump said a leak of sensitive information during a US military rescue mission in Iran made the operation significantly more dangerous.
According to Trump, details about the rescue of the first service member were made public before a second missing airman had been secured.
“All of a sudden, they know that there's somebody out there,” he said, referring to Iranian forces. “It became a much more difficult operation because a leaker leaked that we have one, we've rescued one, but there's another one out there that we're trying to get.”
23:02 IST
“Do whatever was necessary”: Trump on daring US rescue operation "I ordered the U.S. Armed Forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home. A risky decision, because we could have ended up with 100 dead, as opposed to one or two," Trump told reporters.
"It's a hard decision to make, but in the United States military, we leave no American behind. We don't do it."
22:59 IST
Trump details dramatic rescue of downed US airman Donald Trump says downed weapons officer followed protocol after crash
- He says the officer moved away from crash site to avoid detection in hostile territory
“You want to be as far away as you can,” Trump says of survival strategy
Airman was “bleeding profusely” but managed to navigate mountainous terrain, Trump says.
Trump says the airman successfully contacted US forces to share his location
US used deception tactics to mislead Iranian forces during the mission, Trump said.
22:48 IST
Trump reiterates 8pm Tuesday deadline for Iran "We're here today to celebrate the success of one of the largest, most complex, most harrowing, combat searches, I guess you would call it a search-and-rescue mission, ever attempted by the military," Trump said.