President Trump had been under increasing pressure to find a way out after he threatened to wipe out Iran’s civilization on Tuesday night unless Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
More than 70 Democratic lawmakers, questioning his mental fitness, called for the president’s removal from office through impeachment or the 25th Amendment.
Senator Ron Johnson said he hoped President Trump was making empty threats, but most in the G.O.P. cheered his warning that Iran’s “whole civilization” would be wiped out.
President Trump escalated his threats ahead of his pending Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump taunted Iran on social media, while strikes continued in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and some Gulf states.
President Trump first gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the vital oil shipping route on March 21. The deadline has been reset many times since.
The intelligence agency also executed a deception campaign aimed at drawing Iranian forces away from where the missing Air Force officer was hiding.
Defense systems that shoot projectiles out of the sky have become one of the most important components of warfare, so much so that militaries face a diminishing supply.
The U.S. military’s search-and-rescue operation for a missing American airman entered its second day. The Israeli military struck a major petrochemical complex in Iran.
The sprawling complex in the city of Mahshahr was taken offline after strikes hit two utility plants that provided basic services like gas and power, Iranian officials said.