Donald Trump has been criticised for an extraordinary White House briefing that descended into chaos as he vowed to destroy Iran in a single night. 

The US leader claimed at last night's press conference he would bomb the nation so hard he would sent it back to the 'Stone Ages' by destroying all of its power stations and bridges in just four hours, if Tehran did not agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm EST tonight. 

Trump claimed: 'The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night. I hope I don't have to do it'.

He starkly added: 'Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by tomorrow night. Every power plant will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again – I mean complete demolition'.

Proponents said the whole press conference one of the President's 'craziest' yet, with one calling it a 'pure clown show.'

He admitted the American public 'want to see us come home' as he searches for a way out of the conflict, but said that any peace deal between Tehran and Washington must be 'acceptable' to him, and will have to include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for the global trade of oil that Iran has blocked since the outbreak of war. 

The US leader also refused to say whether the strategy to destroy civilian infrastructure amounted to war crimes. And asked if he was winding down the war or escalating, he said: 'I can't tell you. I don't know.' 

Trump said that Iran was negotiating with the US in 'good faith', adding: 'We may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation.'

But last night Tehran rejected the deal put forward by Pakistani mediators. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the US had 'destroyed the path to diplomacy', and described efforts to agree a peace deal as 'incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes'.

The presented plan would've seen a 45-day pause in strikes in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

But Tehran said it needed a 'definitive end to the conflict', outlining its need for the 'end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the strait, reconstruction and the lifting of sanctions.'

Speaking earlier in the the Rose Garden after a White House Easter egg event, Trump spoke of his desire to wrap the conflict up quickly and take home whatever spoils of war he can get his hands on. 

He said: 'If I had my choice I would take the oil because it is there for the taking, there is not a thing they can do about it.

'Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me I'd keep the oil and we'd make plenty of money. But I also want to make the people of our country happy.' 

He said he 'hated' the damage his forces were doing to Iran but suggested he would continue unless its leaders made a deal.

Trump also detailed the rescue of two American pilots shot down over Iran, hailing the mission as 'a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality and force'.

The F-15E fighter jet was brought down on Good Friday, with the two crew ejecting after the strike.

The pilot was rescued immediately but his weapons systems officer was not recovered by US forces until Saturday night. 

Trump said the mission proved Washington had 'achieved overwhelming air dominance and superiority over the Iranian skies'.

But critics labelled the whole press conference one of the President's 'craziest' yet, with YouTube personality and comedian Jimmy Dore attacking his narrative over the rescue.

He said: 'Pretending that getting a fighter jet shot down by a military that Trump said was 'Completely Decimated' as a victory is pure clown show. 

'Iran is humiliated? Everything they say is projection and a confession.'

Another commentator said: 'That was one of the craziest press conferences Trump has ever given. Absolute comedy.'

It comes as Trump signalled a frantic, optimistic push for a peace deal with what he called a 'decapitated' Iranian regime – while simultaneously authorizing the most 'ferocious' wave of American strikes to date.

The President would not disclose whether he would be scaling back the bombing campaign, saying: 'I don't know. I can't tell. It depends what they do.' 

Trump also used the briefing to issue a terrifying final warning to Tehran, setting a hard deadline for tonight at 8:00pm EST.

'The entire country could be taken out in one night – and that night might be tomorrow night,' he said. 

The President warned that if a deal isn't reached, he will order the total demolition of Iran's civilian infrastructure, vowing to leave the nation in the 'Stone Age'.

'Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by tomorrow night... every power plant will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again,' Trump said, adding that it would take the Iranian people '100 years to rebuild' without American help.

Army Vet Clay Harmon called it 'absolute madness' on X. 

'Trump just told Iran to open the strait or face bombing Tuesday. No lawyers. No press conference. straight from the president. When did we last have a president like this?' he said.

The US President claimed he had already 'road–tested' this strategy, boasting that he recently ordered the destruction of Iran's largest bridge in just ten minutes to 'force compliance' when negotiations stalled.

Trump also floated a plan for the US to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge global shipping 'tolls' for passage.

'Why shouldn't we? We're the winner,' he reasoned, comparing the strategy to his administration's handling of Venezuelan oil. 'They are militarily defeated. The only thing they have is the psychology of, oh, we're gonna drop a couple of mines in the water.'

Still while Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stood at the same podium Monday claiming that US strikes are ramping up to record–breaking volumes every single day, the Pentagon's own data suggests otherwise.

'Per the President's direction, today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one... Tomorrow, even more than today,' he told reporters.

However, figures from US Central Command show that the pace of operations has actually fluctuated over the last three weeks, maintaining a steady average of roughly 250 strikes per day rather than the exponential daily increase claimed by the administration.

In one of the briefing's most notable moments, Trump said that Iranian civilians are actually 'begging' the US to continue the bombardment.

'We've had numerous intercepts. Please keep bombing,' Trump claimed, asserting that civilians living near blast zones would rather suffer through the strikes than live under the current regime. 

He contrasted the 'precision' of US forces, bragging that he sees 'better with goggles at night' than in daylight, with the 'brutality' of regime snipers who he claimed shot female protesters 'right between the eyes.'

Trump didn't reserve his vitriol for Iran alone, turning his sights on 'disappointing' European allies. He mocked the United Kingdom's offer of 'two old, broken aircraft carriers' and slammed NATO for sitting on the sidelines.

'I think it's a mark on NATO that will never disappear,' he said, before boasting that American technology is so superior it recently intercepted 101 out of 101 missiles fired at the USS Abraham Lincoln.

As the 8pm ET Tuesday deadline looms, the world watches to see if the President's 'instincts' lead to a historic peace deal or the 'obliteration' he so vividly described.