United States President Donald Trump has warned that "all hell" will rain down on Iran if no peace deal is reached within 48 hours, as his 10-day deadline for Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz approaches.

Trump's threat came amid intensified strikes in the Middle East over the weekend, just as Christians were commemorating Easter, with energy facilities in the Gulf countries, as well as universities and hospitals in Iran, suffering heavy damage.

Warplanes destroyed a research center which is part of the sprawling Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran. The attack on Friday on the Laser and Plasma Research Institute of the elite higher education facility is part of a growing number of civilian sites targeted by the US and Israel in their war on Iran.

Hossein Simaei Saraf, Iranian minister of science, research and technology, told reporters at the research center on Saturday that parts of at least 30 universities have so far been hit by US and Israeli strikes since the start of the war on Feb 28.

Meanwhile, in the latest developments on Sunday, Trump confirmed on his Truth Social account that the US military pulled off "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history" after a "highly respected colonel" was now "safe and sound" after his plane was shot down over Iran.

The airman was one of two military personnel aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that was shot down over Iran on Friday. Another crew member was rescued earlier.

The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of Iran announced on Sunday that Iranian military forces destroyed several US aircraft in southern Isfahan. He said it foiled a desperate attempt by US forces to infiltrate Iran and extract the pilot.

The spokesman said a joint operation successfully intercepted and neutralized the incoming aircraft.

The spokesperson added that the downed aircraft included two Black Hawk helicopters and two C-130 military transport planes, all of which were struck and left burning in southern Isfahan.

Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that several people were killed in Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province during search operations for the US airman from the downed F-15E jet.

According to Iran's Fars news agency, five people were killed and eight wounded in an attack on the Koh Siah area of Kohgiluyeh County, while four others were killed in the Vazg and Kakan areas of Boyer-Ahmad County.

On Saturday, one person was killed from projectile fragments after the US and Israel strikes targeted a location close to Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that its air force struck more than 120 targets in central and western Iran and that its targets included ballistic missiles, drone production and air defenses, among others.

Raising alarm

"Israel-US have bombed our Bushehr plant four times now. Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post on X on April 4.

He also accused the US media of "misrepresenting" Iran's position and reiterated that what Iran cared about are the terms of a "lasting end to the illegal war that is imposed on us".

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, said on X on Sunday he was joining the IAEA in raising the alarm again over the safety of nuclear facilities in Iran.

"The latest incident involving the Bushehr nuclear power plant is a stark reminder: a strike could trigger a nuclear accident, with health impacts that would devastate generations," said Ghebreyesus.

"With every passing day of this escalating conflict, the stakes and threats are raised higher and higher. We must de-escalate now. Peace is the best medicine," he added.

Meanwhile, former IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei urged the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the United Nations to stop "madman" Trump from turning the region into a ball of fire.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com