Iran war on verge of escalation as Trump and Tehran exchange threats

[0:00] Welcome to the NewsHour. Tonight, the war with Iran is on the verge of escalation, [0:04] with President Donald Trump threatening to target Iran's power grid, and Tehran vowing [0:09] even more forceful strikes on Israel and U.S. Gulf allies if there is no ceasefire by tomorrow night. [0:15] The president simultaneously expressed confidence in a diplomatic outcome, [0:20] but there's no public sign of progress. Also today, the U.S. celebrated the successful mission [0:25] that rescued the American aviators shot down on Friday. Nick Schifrin begins our report on a busy [0:31] day in Iran and at the White House. Today in Tehran, another dawn lit up by airstrikes on an [0:39] airport and an apartment building cut in half in an attack that state media reported killed six [0:45] as President Trump threatened escalation. We have a plan because of the power of our military [0:52] where every bridge in Iran will be [0:56] destabilized. [0:57] Decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, [1:05] burning, exploding and never to be used again. I mean, complete demolition by 12 o'clock. [1:12] Yesterday, he used coarser language, threatening, quote, Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge [1:17] day, all wrapped up in one in Iran. There will be nothing like it. Open the fucking straight, [1:23] you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell. Just watch. Praise be. [1:27] Allah. They have till tomorrow. Now we'll see what happens. I can tell you they're negotiating. [1:33] We think in good faith. We're going to find out this weekend. Mediators from Pakistan, [1:38] Turkey and Egypt reportedly offered a 45 day ceasefire during which Iran [1:42] would open the Strait of Hormuz and the U. S. And [1:45] Iran would negotiate the end of the war. Iranian State Media [1:48] reported that Iran rejected that demanding the end of the war, sanctions, relief, [1:53] reparations and financial control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 prenups, [1:58] percent of the world's oil and natural gas usually flows. [2:01] We have to have a deal that's acceptable to me. [2:04] And part of that deal is going to be, we want free traffic of oil and everything else. [2:09] Mr. President, are you allowed to or are you willing to end this conflict with Iran charging [2:14] tolls for passengers through the Strait? [2:17] Us charging tolls? [2:18] Iran. [2:20] What about us charging tolls? [2:21] Is that something you're considering? [2:23] I'd rather do that than let them have them run. [2:25] Why shouldn't we? [2:26] We're the winner. [2:27] We won. [2:28] We're the winners. [2:29] OK? [2:30] They are militarily defeated. [2:33] But Iran maintains its ability to threaten U.S. allies. [2:36] Today, Israeli families cowered in fear during an Iranian attack. [2:41] Last night, Iran launched a barrage of cluster munitions that break up into small bombs that [2:46] fly miles apart. [2:49] And today, rescue workers in Haifa dug out the bodies of four victims. [2:53] Twenty-three Israeli civilians have now been killed since the start of the war. [2:57] Today, Iran vowed its own escalation. [3:00] We're going to do it. [3:01] If attacks on civilian targets are repeated, the next phases of our offensive and retaliatory [3:07] operations will be carried out much more forcefully. [3:11] Israel has already been striking civilian targets that it says are also used by the [3:15] Iranian military. [3:16] Today, it was a petrochemical plant and Tehran's Sharif University of Technology that professors [3:23] said had no connection to the military. [3:26] This was not only once a place of learning, but also protest. [3:30] Four years ago, the university's students demonstrated against the regime for killing [3:34] activist Masha Amini. [3:37] Back then, they fled from the very same security forces that Israel has said it hopes will [3:41] be overthrown. [3:42] We're here today to celebrate the success of one of the largest, most complex, most [3:47] harrowing combat searches. [3:49] The White House today also celebrated this weekend's historic rescue. [3:54] What the military said included more than 150 aircraft and hundreds of special operations [3:59] forces inside Iran. [4:00] To find out more, visit our website.com.com. [4:01] To save the pilot and weapons service officer of an F-15 after it was shot down on Friday [4:07] by a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile, Iranian police posted the American's documents. [4:12] The pilot was rescued within hours, but the weapons service officer was missing dozens [4:17] of miles away. [4:18] He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, treated his own wounds, and contacted [4:26] American forces to transmit his location. [4:30] He survived more than 50 hours. [4:31] During which time, the Iranian regime offered a bounty to find him. [4:37] U.S. helicopters flew so low, locals targeted them with rifles. [4:42] The mission was risky and needed multiple contingencies. [4:45] A specialized search-and-rescue helicopter took fire, their crew injured. [4:50] Helicopters needed to be refueled mid-mission, and an A-10 providing close air support was [4:55] struck and had to be ditched over Kuwait. [4:56] JOHN BARRON, U.S. Special Operations Officer, U.S. Air Force Base in Kuwait, U.S.: Hundreds [4:58] of people could have been killed. [5:00] JOHN BARRON, U.S. Special Operations Officer, U.S. Air Force Base in Kuwait, U.S. Air Force [5:01] Base in Kuwait. [5:02] A man in the military that said, this is not a wise... [5:04] And I understood that, but I decided to do it. [5:07] GEOFF BENNETT, U.S. That's when the U.S. deployed decoys to confuse Iran about the [5:11] weapons service officer's location. [5:13] And the CIA helped find him, said director John Ratcliff. [5:16] JOHN RATCLIFF, U.S. Special Operations Officer, U.S. Air Force Base in Kuwait, U.S. Air Force [5:17] In addition to the human and technical assets deployed by the president to find our airman, [5:22] CIA executed a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians, who were desperately hunting [5:30] for our airman. [5:31] GEOFF BENNETT, U.S. Special Operations Officer, U.S. Air Force Base in Kuwait. [5:32] GEOFF BENNETT, U.S. Special Operations Officer, U.S. Air Force Base in Kuwait. [5:33] He explicitly compared the aviator to Jesus Christ's resurrection. [5:36] DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States of America, Shot down on a Friday, [5:39] Good Friday, hidden in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday, and rescued on Sunday, flown [5:50] out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday, a pilot reborn, all home, and accounted [5:58] for, a nation rejoicing. [6:00] HARI SREENIVASAN, But, tonight, the nation of Iran is bracing for escalation. [6:05] As President Trump said, the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night [6:10] might be tomorrow. [6:11] For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Nick Schifrin.