menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Trump had a big win with airman rescue in Iran. Then he leveraged it.

21 0
07.04.2026

The past few days have felt like a surreal movie.

Take the rescue of an injured U.S. Air Force colonel, a weapons systems officer whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down inside Iran on April 3. The Trump administration said he hid alone in a crevasse in a 7,000-foot-high mountainous region, and survived with nothing but a hand weapon, a tracking beacon and a communication device until he was rescued in an operation that by all accounts seems like an extraordinary display of American exceptionalism and military prowess. This is a win.

Whatever your opinion of this conflict with Iran, and mine has been a mix of cynicism and cautious hope at best, this alone should be remembered, rightly, as a feat of courage and coordination.

Then, within hours of the rescue, on Easter Sunday, April 5, President Donald Trump posted a morning message with an expletive-laden deadline and ultimatum to Iran on his Truth Social account. At first, it seemed too bizarre and unhinged to be true. He told Iranian leaders they'll be in "Hell" if they don't open the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, April 7.

One thing is sure: Trump's threat, following the news of the incredible rescue, I can see where he either looks stupid or strategic. Depending on what happens in the course of the next few days and weeks, the........

© USA TODAY