Live! Trump posts expletive-ridden threat for Tehran; Iran strikes Kuwait oil sites

US fighter jet pilot rescued in daring operation after Iran shoots down warplane

The US fighter jet pilot who was missing for two days after Iran shot down the warplane has been rescued in one of the most "daring operations" in the history of the United States, President Donald Trump said. According to Trump, the pilot has sustained injuries but "will be fine".

"WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 

The US military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the "most lethal weapons in the world", to retrieve the pilot at Trump's direction, he said.

"This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue," he said. 

Iran shot down the US F-15E Strike Eagle on Friday - which carried a pilot and a weapons system officer. While one of them was rescued immediately, another was missing. According to an Iranian media outlet, the fighter jet was targeted over central Iran and may have gone down in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province.

Iran war starts pinching US; gas prices, transport costs surge

The war against Iran has started to impact Americans, with Amazon announcing a fuel surcharge for its e-commerce deliveries and some airlines hiking fees for checked-in baggage to offset higher fuel costs.

The average price of petrol in the US has increased to USD 4.09 a gallon on Friday, up more than one dollar from just before the war and the highest level since August 2022.

The cost of diesel has risen sharply from USD 3.64 per gallon a year ago to USD 5.53 per gallon on Friday, according to data maintained by the American Automobile Association (AAA). Diesel is widely used in farming, construction and transportation, besides other industries.

E-commerce giant Amazon also said that, beginning April 17, it plans to add a 3.5 per cent fuel surcharge on third-party sellers.

The US Postal Service on Wednesday said it is seeking to impose a temporary 8 per cent fuel surcharge for package and express mail deliveries to deal with rising transportation costs.

If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the surcharge would take effect April 26 and remain in place until January 17, 2027, the Postal Service said in a notice on its website.

If the war against Iran stretches longer, it will also lead to supply chain disruptions in the US.

“I don’t think the US will avoid it. These are global markets,” Rachel Ziemba, a New York-based analyst who advises corporations on geopolitical risk, was quoted by The Washington Post as saying. “Experts, even a week ago, were worried. Now they are more worried,” she said.

"If transportation costs start rising, it's going to bleed through in other prices," Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, was quoted as saying by CBS.

Iran rejects Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum, vows ‘devastating’ response to any attack

Iran on Saturday brushed aside US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Tehran's vital infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached within 48 hours, calling the ultimatum "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action".

The response from General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, representing the "Khatam al-Anbiya" Central Headquarters, comes after Trump wrote on Truth Social that "all hell reign down" on Iran if a peace deal is not reached and the critical checkpoint Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.

Abdollahi warned that any US or Israeli strike on Iran's infrastructure would be met with "devastating and continuous" attacks on all US military assets in the Middle East and on Israeli infrastructure, per Fars news agency. "After having admitted successive defeats, the aggressive and warmongering president of the United States has, in a desperate,nervous,unbalanced and foolish move, threatened (to target) Iran's infrastructure and national assets," he said.

He said the Iranian armed forces would not hesitate "for a moment" to defend the country's rights and protect national assets and "will put the aggressors in their place."

US and Iran race to find missing crew member from downed military plane

The search is on for one missing US service member while another was rescued after two US warplanes went down in separate incidents including the first shoot-down since the Iran war began nearly five weeks ago.

The incidents occurred just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.” One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A US crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a US military search-and-rescue operation was underway.

Separately, Iranian state media said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defence forces. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.

The war now entering its sixth week is destabilising economies around the world as Iran responds to the US and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Easter vigil, calls for harmony in world torn by war

Pope Leo XIV, carrying a tall, lit candle through a darkened and silent St Peter's Basilica, ushered in Christianity's most joyous celebration with his first Easter vigil service as pontiff Saturday night, urging that Easter would bring harmony and peace to a world torn by wars.

Easter for Christians commemorates Christ's triumph over death with his resurrection following his crucifixion.

Lighting the candle before he entered the basilica, the pope intoned: “The light of Christ who rises in glory." Candle bearers stopped to light candles of the congregants as they walked down the central aisle, spreading flickers of light through the dark basilica before the lights went up as the pope arrived at the baroque main altar, followed by cardinals dressed in white.

In his homily, Leo called sin "a heavy barrier that closes us off and separates us from God, seeking to kill his words of hope within us", and likened it to the stone that had covered Jesus' tomb — but which was found overturned, revealing Jesus' resurrection.

Leo said that there are stones representing sins to be overturned today, some "so heavy and so closely guarded that they seem to be immovable".

"Some weigh heavily on the human heart, such as mistrust, fear, selfishness and resentment; others stemming from these inner struggles, sever the bonds between us through war, injustice and the isolation of peoples and nations.

"Let us not allow ourselves to be paralysed by them!” the pope said, calling on the faithful to make a commitment “so that the Easter gifts of harmony and peace may grow and flourish everywhere and always throughout the world".

Airstrikes in southwest Iran killed 3, wounded others: State media

Airstrikes in southwest Iran have killed at least three people and wounded others, according to Iranian state media.

The attack took place in the same area where a missing American crew member is believed to be.

Meanwhile, the commander of the joint military command, Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, said his country will target all infrastructure used by the US military in the region, as well as Israel's infrastructure, if aggression against Iran escalates.

His comments on Saturday evening, carried by state media, came a few hours after Trump warned Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating consequences.“The doors of hell will be opened to you” if Iran's infrastructure is attacked, Aliabadi said in response to Trump's renewed threat, state media reported.

The war began with joint US-Israel strikes on Feb 28 and has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have threatened, and hit, civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war crimes.

“Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them,” Trump said via social media, as he re-upped a previous April 6 deadline for opening the shipping channel.

Trump claims massive Tehran strike killed top Iranian military leaders

US President Donald Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that several of Iran’s top military leaders had been “terminated” in what he described as a “massive strike” on Tehran. The post included a 1-minute 7-second video purportedly showing explosions illuminating the city, amid rapidly escalating tensions in West Asia and growing uncertainty over the conflict’s next phase.

"Many of Iran's Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump’s statement followed his 48-hour ultimatum to Tehran, warning that “all hell will rain down” if Iran does not strike a deal with Washington or reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route. The warning came as the US military intensified efforts to locate a missing American crew member after two US warplanes were reportedly downed over Iran in a single day, marking the first such losses in the nearly six-week-long conflict. US officials confirmed that one crew member remains unaccounted for in hostile territory, prompting a high-risk search operation.