Trump praises risky rescue, warns Iran must not get nuclear weapon and says 'if it were up to me I'd take the oil'

President Donald J. Trump used remarks at the White House Easter Egg Roll to describe a recent, high-risk rescue operation and to press his hard-line stance toward Iran, saying negotiators had made a "significant" proposal but repeating that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon." He also said, "if it were up to me, I'd take the oil," a hypothetical remark he framed as one option among many.

Trump told attendees the operation had recovered two pilots from hostile territory and praised the military as "incredible" and "the greatest." He said the operation required exceptional risk and that keeping one of the rescued personnel quiet for a day made the mission easier. "They were incredible, brave, and we thank them," he said.

Reporters pressed Trump on whether he would extend a deadline he has given Iran; he said negotiators had made "a very significant step" but that it was "not good enough," and that the administration would "see what happens." When asked whether strikes on bridges or power plants could be war crimes, Trump rejected that framing, saying he was "not worried about it" and asserting that "having a nuclear weapon" in the hands of an adversary would be the real crime.

In several remarks, Trump offered figures and characterizations as assertions rather than documented findings. He credited egg farmers with supplying the event and said egg prices fell "40%–50%" from an earlier period; he also said more than 40,000 eggs were supplied for the Easter Egg Roll. Trump additionally claimed that "45,000 protesters" had been killed in Iran in recent months; the president presented those casualty figures as information "we have on pretty good information." These figures and some operational details were presented as his statements to the press and were not independently verified in the remarks.

Trump framed his posture as aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation and said the United States had rebuilt its military. He told attendees a news conference would follow at 1 p.m. The White House did not announce any immediate change in U.S. military policy during the event.

The president's comments combined celebration of the holiday event with forceful foreign-policy rhetoric. He repeatedly framed the administration's actions as necessary to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and repeatedly praised U.S. forces for the recent rescue. The administration scheduled a formal briefing later in the day for additional details.

The remarks quoted in this article come from the president's on-site remarks to attendees and exchanges with reporters at the Easter Egg Roll.