What you need to know on Day 37 of West Asia war | Trump’s expletive-laden threat, a deal update, and US airmen rescued in daring op

Last month, Trump said that if Tehran does not reopen the strait by April 6, he would target Iran’s power plants, oil wells, desalination plants, and Kharg Island, which handles 90 per cent of Tehran’s oil exports.

Iran has maintained its chokehold on the narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, which had been serving as the conduit for approximately 20 per cent of global energy trade before the war broke out.

More than 180 ships have transited the Strait since the war broke out. But nearly 70 per cent of these ships are owned by Iran and its allies, and countries such as China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey, CNN reported, quoting Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Deal by Monday?

Speaking to Fox News, he said a deal with Tehran could be made as soon as Monday, which was now less than 24 hours away and within his twice-extended deadline.

So far, the war has shown no signs of de-escalation. As Pakistan makes an effort to put together a forum for peace talks, Tehran has signalled that it will not budge to Trump’s threats or give in to his demands. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said that talks must lead to a “conclusive and lasting” end to the conflict.

The US had forwarded a 15-point peace proposal to Tehran via Islamabad last week. Tehran rejected the proposal and put forward its own list of demands.

A rescue operation and counterclaims

Earlier on Sunday, the US President announced that the American military conducted a major operation to rescue two military personnel, “separately, deep” inside Iranian territory.

Among them was a US Air Force officer who was stranded in Iran after his fighter jet was struck down on Friday during a mission. While the pilot of the F-15E Strike Eagle jet was immediately rescued, the Colonel-ranked weapons systems officer went missing.

The extraction took place alongside the rescue of a jet pilot on Saturday.

According to an NYT report, hundreds of special forces troops, dozens of US warplanes, and helicopters were mobilised during the rescue mission of the Colonel.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: “The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies.”

According to the NYT, during the rescue of the weapons officer, two US transport planes, meant to carry the personnel to safety, got stuck at a remote base, prompting the personnel to blow the aircraft up.

However, later in the day, the Unified Command of the Iranian Armed Forces said that two C-130 planes and two Blackhawk helicopters were downed south of Isfahan during the rescue operation.

OPEC+ energy crisis assessment

An OPEC+ panel meeting on Sunday expressed concern about strikes on energy facilities and assets in the war.

The panel, representing a coalition of 12 oil-exporting countries, said the repairs were expensive and time-consuming and ⁠the damage had an impact on energy supply, Reuters reported, quoting a draft statement.

Fires in the Gulf

Several civilian and oil installations in Gulf countries, housing US bases, have come under attack.

Multiple fires broke out at the Borouge petrochemicals plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE, after debris from intercepted projectiles fell. In Bahrain, a tank fire at a storage facility was reported but later extinguished. The Shuwaikh oil sector complex, owned by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, also caught fire after being targeted by drones.

Two power and water plants in Kuwait were hit, causing the units to shut down. An office complex for government ministries was also damaged, CNN reported, quoting state media.