President Donald Trump issued one of his most emphatic warnings against Iran this Monday during an update on Operation Epic Fury, asserting that the entire country could be obliterated in a single night within a matter of hours.
In a widely circulated video, Trump stated: "An American F-15 fighter jet went down deep inside enemy territory in Iran while participating in Operation Epic Fury, where we are doing it at a level that no one has seen before. The whole country can be devastated in a single night, and that night could be tomorrow night. Both crew members ejected from the aircraft and landed safely."
The statements were made at a press conference at the White House called to inform about the rescue of the two crew members of the F-15E that was shot down last Friday by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard near Dehdasht, in the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran.
That downing represented the first confirmed loss of a manned aircraft by the United States on Iranian soil since the onset of the conflict.
The first crew member was rescued that same day using HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters under Iranian fire, with assistance from the CIA.
The second crew member, a severely injured colonel, was evacuated on Sunday, April 5, to Kuwait for medical treatment, in an operation that Trump described as a Easter miracle and "one of the boldest search and rescue operations in U.S. history."
The warning this Monday coincides with the expiration of the ultimatum set by Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with a deadline of 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the same day.
Trump had previously threatened to attack electric plants, bridges, oil wells, and desalination plants in Iran if Iran did not comply with the reopening of the strait.
The Epic Fury Operation, launched on February 28, 2026, jointly by the U.S. and Israel, has destroyed nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
According to Washington, the operation has degraded 90% of Iran's missile capability, 95% of its drones, and has left its navy and air force "in ruins."
Filed under: