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Trump holds a press conference after profanity-laced post on Iran

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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them.
− Deepa Shivaram Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly.
+ Deepa Shivaram President Trump speaks as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (center) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine look on during a news conference at the White House on April 6. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly.
− President Trump repeated threats to Iran during his Monday press conference, which he opened by describing the successful rescue mission for the downed airman over the weekend.
+ President Trump repeated his threats to Iran's civilian infrastructure Monday, promising destruction if a deal to end the war is not reached by Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
− "The entire country can be taken out in one night and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump told reporters.
+ Negotiations, he said, must include an open Strait of Hormuz.
− Trump spent several minutes describing the rescue mission, calling his decision to authorize the rescue as "risky" and "hard." "But in the U.S.
+ "Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again.
− military.
+ I mean complete demolition by 12 o'clock, and it will happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to, we don't want that to happen," Trump told reporters during a White House press conference. When Trump launched this war with Iran more than a month ago, he gave a rough deadline of six weeks of conflict.
− We leave no American behind," he said.
+ Now, six weeks in, the president's timeline on the war and his plan for the U.S.
− The president claimed Iran "got lucky" when they took out the U.S.
+ to pull out of Iran are even more muddied.
− fighter jet.
+ During his briefing room appearance Monday, he suggested for the first time that the U.S. might get involved in rebuilding Iran if he decides on more intensive strikes.
− CIA Director John Radcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen.
+ "We may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation," Trump said, though he did not specify how the U.S.
− Dan Caine all recounted the rescue operation at the press conference — Trump's first since the U.S.
+ would support those efforts. Middle East conflict Iran rejects a U.S.
− and Israel launched a war with Iran more than a month ago.
+ ceasefire plan as Trump again threatens to bomb its infrastructure Also unclear is how Trump wants to handle the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has flip-flopped on his messaging for days. He has demanded Iran open the strait. He has told U.S. allies it's up to them to open it. And on Easter Sunday, he issued a profanity-laced social media post demanding Iran open it.
− The news conference comes days after Trump formally addressed the nation from the White House last week and said the conflict would end "shortly." At that address, he criticized other countries, though didn't name any specifically, and said it was up to others to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which 20% of the world's oil is transported.
+ "We have to have a deal that's acceptable to me and part of that deal is going to be, we want free traffic of oil and everything," he said Monday.
− Iran's closure of the strait during the war has led to a jump in gas prices globally, hitting around $4 per gallon last week in the U.S.
+ Minutes before, he said he would want the U.S. to charge tolls in the strait.
− The president has also been threatening a surge in strikes on Iran Tuesday, unless the strait is reopened by tomorrow evening.
+ Asked about his mixed messages about the status of the war, and whether it was winding down or ramping up amid his latest threats, he said: "I don't know. I can't tell. It depends what they do. This is a critical period. They have a period of, well, till tomorrow, at eight o'clock." Trump said he can't discuss a potential ceasefire – which was presented by mediating countries to both the U.S. and Iran on Sunday – but added that the U.S. has "an active, willing participant on the other side" of negotiations.
− "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," Trump said on social media over the weekend, "Open the F***in' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!" The post comes as negotiations between the U.S.
+ The president was also asked if he was concerned that the potential U.S.
− and Iran have made some progress.
+ strikes on civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants would amount to war crimes under international law.
− A 45-day ceasefire proposal was submitted to the U.S.
+ But Trump said he wasn't worried. "I hope I don't have to do it," he said. Trump and other administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe led off the press conference by describing the mission to rescue a downed U.S.
− and Iran on Sunday.
+ airman whose plane was shot down by Iranian forces in western Iran last Friday. Trump called his decision to authorize the rescue as "risky" and "hard." "But in the U.S.
− On Monday, Trump called the proposal "a significant step." The president has repeatedly said the war would last roughly six weeks.
+ military, we leave no American behind," he said.
− But now, in its sixth week, the timeline on when the war would end and how achievable Trump's objectives are remain unclear.
+ The president claimed Iran "got lucky" when they downed the U.S. fighter jet.
− For weeks, Trump has been moving the goal posts on the administration's goals with Iran, including whether the U.S.
+ The news conference comes days after Trump formally addressed the nation from the White House and said the conflict would end "shortly." During that address, he criticized other countries without specifics and said it was up to others to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which 20% of the world's oil is transported. Iran's blockade of the strait during the war has led to a jump in gas prices globally, hitting an average of $4 per gallon last week in the U.S. The president has also been threatening a surge in strikes on Iran Tuesday, unless the strait is reopened by tomorrow evening. "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," Trump said on social media over the weekend, "Open the F***in' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!" The post came as a trio of countries, including Pakistan, sought to mediate negotiations.
+ They submitted a 45-day ceasefire proposal to the U.S. and Iran on Sunday. On Monday, Trump called the proposal "a significant step." For weeks, Trump has been moving the goal posts on the administration's goals with Iran, including whether the U.S.
will remove Iran's uranium stockpiles. Trump has also suggested that the U.S.
− could end the war but strike Iran again later if they aim to build up nuclear defenses.
+ could end the war but strike Iran again later if the country aims to build up nuclear defenses.
Polling shows that Americans oppose the war in Iran. Even among Republican supporters of the president, his approval rating has dipped.
− A CNN poll released last week showed that Republicans who strongly approve of Trump's job performance dropped to 43%, compared to 52% in January.
+ A CNN poll released last week showed that Republicans who strongly approve of Trump's job performance dropped to 43%, compared to 52% in January.
− High costs, including gas prices, remain a top of mind concern for voters heading into the midterm elections in roughly six months.
+ High costs, including gas prices, remain a top of mind concern for voters heading into the midterm elections in about seven months.
On Monday, Trump said the high prices might last into the summer. "We're never going to let them have a nuclear weapon," Trump said of Iran.
− "And if we have to pay a little extra for fuel for a couple of months, and we'll do that, but we're never going to allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon." This story will be updated. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor
+ "If we have to pay a little extra for fuel for a couple of months... we'll do that." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor