“History repeats itself. Operation Eagle Claw, a historic US military failure in Iran’s Tabas Desert. April 24, 1980,” Iran’s embassy said in a post on X
US President Donald Trump’s threat in an expletive-laden post today to strike Iran’s power plants and bridges, if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, was met with acerbic ridicule by the Islamic nation’s embassies across the world.
Trump made the threat on Truth Social after announcing the rescue of a US fighter pilot in a “miraculous” operation, calling it “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US history”.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump said on the microblogging platform owned by him.
Judging by how POTUS swears like a teenager, it seems the US has reached the Stone Age sooner than expected.
— Iran Embassy in Thailand ☫ (@IranInThailand) April 5, 2026
Soon after, Iran said it had “foiled” the operation, and distributed images appearing to show the wreckage of several aircraft, but did not deny that US forces had extracted their pilot.
It reminded the US of Operation Eagle Claw, a mission led by American special forces to rescue US personnel in Iran that ended in complete failure.
“History repeats itself. Operation Eagle Claw, a historic US military failure in Iran’s Tabas Desert. April 24, 1980,” Iran’s embassy said in a post on X.
The spokesman of the Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters in Iran said the US military’s “so-called rescue operation” was planned as a “deceptive rapid extraction mission under the pretext of saving the pilot of a downed aircraft at an abandoned airfield in southern Isfahan”.
It “ended in total failure after Iranian armed forces arrived in time,” he said.
Iran also responded to Trump’s aide Karoline Leavitt praising US troops with a “proud of” rhetoric post on X.
“Add these as well,” Iran’s embassy said in a post on X. “Proud of killing the children of Minab school. Proud of attacking hospitals and universities. Proud of supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Proud of the Epstein case. Dear users, please feel free to tell Karoline what else to add.”
Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, a vital conduit for oil and gas, and launched strikes on Israel and its Gulf neighbours. Trump warned it to stop choking traffic through Hormuz.
Trump’s warning came as the Omani and Iranian deputy foreign ministers reportedly held talks on easing passage through Hormuz. Many residents of Tehran seemed indifferent to Trump’s threats.
In a large park in the west of the city, a group of young Iranians were having a picnic. Nearby, two friends were playing with a frisbee as techno music blared from a portable speaker, news agency AFP reported. One man was making the most of a windy day by flying his kite in front of the Milad Tower, an iconic landmark of Tehran, it said.
US media reported on details of the rescue operation of the US airman, a weapons systems officer. The New York Times said he was equipped with a pistol, a beacon and a secure communications device to coordinate with rescuers.
Two of the planes meant to transport him and his rescuers to safety were stuck in a remote base in Iran and had to be destroyed to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands, the New York Times and CBS reported.
History repeats itself.
Operation Eagle Claw, a historic US military failure in Iran’s Tabas Desert
April 24, 1980 pic.twitter.com/RY909OWrNI— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) April 5, 2026
US forces then used three other transport planes to carry the airman and his rescuers out of Iran, the reports said.
Iran’s military said it had destroyed four US aircraft involved in the operation, which it said had made use of an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province. Iranian media reported five people were killed in strikes during the operation.
Footage released by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was presented as showing charred wreckage of an American aircraft scattered across a desert area, with smoke still rising.
Critical infrastructure across the Gulf also came under attack from Iran again today, with damage reported at civilian facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. Pro-Iran armed groups carried out two attacks on US diplomatic sites in Iraq overnight, the US embassy in Baghdad said.
Add these as well:
Proud of killing the children of #Minab school.
Proud of attacking hospitals and universities.
Proud of supporting Israel’s genocide in #Gaza.
Proud of the Epstein case.Dear users, please feel free to tell Karoline what else to add. https://t.co/o8MmeQ0HZz
— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) April 5, 2026
On another front, Lebanon has increasingly been drawn into the conflict since the Iran-backed Hezbollah group began targeting Israel. Israel has struck back and pushed its ground forces into southern Lebanon.
