WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told the nation in a televised speech on Wednesday night that the US military had nearly completed the goals it had set out to accomplish in its war with Iran and that the conflict would soon be ending. He said US forces will “finish the job” in Iran soon, while offering a full-throated defense of the war in his first national address since the conflict began more than a month ago. “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” Trump said. Trump got a wide audience and a chance to articulate clear objectives for the war after weeks of changing goals and often contradictory messages about whether he’s winding down or ready to escalate military operations even as Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Gulf neighbors. The speech came as Trump faces plunging approval ratings, economic jitters and spiralling diplomatic fallout from the war. Trump used his platform to attempt to reassure war-weary Americans the offensive was worth the effort, but also spent much of the 20-minute speech repeating many things he had already said in recent weeks and providing few new details. The speech appeared unlikely to move the needle of public sentiment at a time when polling shows many Americans feel the US military has gone too far in Iran and as gas and oil prices remain high. The effect on global financial markets was more immediate, with oil rising more than 4% and Asian stocks falling after Trump’s comments about the US continuing to hit Iran hard. Trump did not mention the possibility of sending US ground troops into Iran, nor did he reference NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance he has railed against for not helping secure the critical Strait of Hormuz, where a chokehold by Iran has sent energy prices soaring. He also didn’t say anything about negotiations with Iran or bring up his 6 April deadline for Iran to reopen the waterway or face severe retaliation from the US. The president said, “In these past four weeks our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield” and slammed previous decades of US policy, saying previous presidents “made mistakes and I am correcting them.” “The situation has been going on for 47 years and should’ve been handled long before I arrived in office,” he said. Trump also acknowledged rising oil prices and volatile financial markets, but insisted those would be temporary. Polls show many Americans feel the US military has gone too far in Iran — even as more American troops move into the region for a possible ground offensive. Trump opted not to deliver such an address closer to when the US and Israel first launched attacks, and questions now remain about whether it is now too late for what he says to break through. The president, in comments during a Easter lunch on Wednesday afternoon, said of Iran: “We could just take their oil. But you know, I’m not sure that the people in our country have the patience to do that, which is unfortunate.” The media was not permitted to watch the president’s remarks at the lunch, but the White House uploaded video of the speech online before taking it down. The White House did not return requests for comment from The Associated Press on the video and why it was taken down. In a social media post earlier Wednesday, Trump maintained a belligerent tone, demanding that Iran stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz or the US would bomb the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Ages.” The president has also said the US “will not have anything to do with” ensuring the security of ships passing through Hormuz, an apparent backtrack from a previous threat to attack Iran’s power grid if it didn’t open the strait by April 6. In the same Easter lunch, the president reiterated some of his complaints about NATO allies for their reluctance to get involved in securing the Strait of Hormuz while suggesting that China, Japan and South Korea could also step up to reopen the waterway. “Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” Trump said of efforts to reopen the strait. “Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.” In another morning social media post, Trump wrote that “Iran’s New Regime President” wanted a ceasefire. It wasn’t clear to whom the US president was referring since Iran still has the same president. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump’s claim “false and baseless,” according to a report on Iranian state television. Speaking earlier to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled Tehran’s willingness to keep fighting. “You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines,” he said. “We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.” Hours before Trump’s address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted a lengthy appeal to American citizens on his X account stressing that his country had pursued negotiations before the US withdrew from that path. “Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?” he wrote. Since the war began on Feb. 28, Trump has offered shifting objectives and repeatedly has said it could be over soon while also threatening to widen the conflict. Thousands of additional US troops are currently heading to the Middle East, and speculation abounds about why. Trump has also threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub. And the US could decide to send in military forces to secure Iran’s uranium stockpile — a complex and risky operation, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, experts and former government officials say. Adding to the confusion is what role Israel — which has been bombing Iran alongside the US — might play in any of these scenarios. Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war. Trump ticked through a timeline of past American involvement in conflicts and noted that the ongoing war in Iran had lasted just 32 days, seeming to appeal to the public for more time to achieve the mission. “World War I lasted one year, seven months and five days,” he said. “World War II lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days.” Trump also added references to Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. The US has presented Iran with a 15-point plan aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, including a demand for the strait to be reopened and for its nuclear program to be rolled back. In the interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the US could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.” He warned against any US attempt to launch a ground offensive, saying “we are waiting for them.” Meanwhile, Tehran announced Wednesday evening another barrage of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases in the Gulf, striking Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Eilat as well as US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.Israel’s military said early Thursday its air defences were operating to intercept the incoming fire. As Israel prepared for the Passover holiday, which began at sunset Wednesday, air-raid sirens sounded repeatedly in the Tel Aviv area. Emergency services said an Iranian missile attack Wednesday morning wounded 14 people, including an 11-year-old girl. The Revolutionary Guards also confirmed hitting an oil tanker in the Gulf they said belonged to Israel. A British maritime security agency said the vessel was struck off Qatar, reporting damage but no casualties. — Agencies
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