Trump claims Iran could be eliminated in 1 night

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on April 6 that American forces could “take out” the entire nation of Iran in just a single night.

“The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump told reporters.

He also said that his administration is searching “very hard” for a leaker who shared details on the first pilot rescued from Iran last week after his plane was downed.

Trump said a second recovery mission for a missing U.S. service member involved 155 aircraft, including four bombers, 64 fighters, and 48 refueling tankers.

He previously said that some 200 Special Forces personnel assisted in the retrieval.

U.S. CENTCOM, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, confirmed that two service members were recovered after their F-15E jet was downed by a shoulder-fired missile on April 2.

Since Feb. 28, U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.