With the Middle East on edge, oil prices swinging, and pressure building at home, Donald Trump stepped in front of the cameras for his first national address since launching the war in Iran a month ago. Poll numbers are slipping, global energy markets are rattled, and questions are growing about how long this conflict will drag on.
Standing in the Cross Hall of the White House, Trump said the US is close to wrapping things up, even as he warned that the hardest blows may still be coming.
Trump says US is close to ‘finishing the job’
Trump said the US is now “nearing completion” of its main goals in Iran and claimed he is close to “finishing the job.”
He told Americans that the past four weeks have brought massive military success. “Tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” he said. “In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield – victories like few people have ever seen before.”
He went further, claiming Iran’s military has been badly damaged. “Iran’s navy is gone. Their Air Force is in ruins … Very few are left,” he said at the start of his speech.
‘Two to three weeks’: More strikes still coming
Despite Trump repeatedly hinting US exit from the war, on Thursday, he ended the speech giving mixed signals. Trump repeated a timeline he has mentioned before—saying the US will continue hitting Iran hard for “the next two to three weeks.” He defended the decision to go to war, saying the toughest part is already behind them, but more action is needed to fully achieve US goals. “We will hit Iran extremely hard,” he said, making it clear that the coming weeks could be intense.
Oil prices jump after speech
Oil prices, which had been falling earlier, suddenly climbed again as his remarks did little to ease fears about the situation in the region, especially the uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude jumped more than 5% to $105.55, while US West Texas Intermediate rose 3% to $103.16.
Trump makes his case for the war
A big part of the speech was Trump explaining why he believes this war had to happen. He said his position has not changed since he first ran for president. “From the very beginning my campaign for president in 2015, I said I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
He accused Iran’s leadership of long-standing hostility, adding, “This regime has been chanting death to America, death to Israel.” He described Iran’s leadership as a “fanatical regime” and argued that allowing it to go nuclear would be too dangerous. “For these terrorists to have nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat,” he said. “The most violent and thuggish regime on Earth would be free to carry out their campaigns of terror, coercion, conquest and mass murder from behind a nuclear shield.”
Trump also revisited his decision to pull the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under Barack Obama, arguing that earlier approaches had failed to stop Iran’s ambitions.
‘Right at the doorstep’: Nuclear warning
Trump claimed that Iran was dangerously close to developing a nuclear weapon.
He said the country was “right at the doorstep” of getting one, though he also added earlier in the day that he was not worried about its stockpile of highly enriched uranium because it is buried deep underground and can be tracked by satellite.
Strait of Hormuz: Trump tells others to take charge
Trump once again turned his attention to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which a huge share of the world’s oil passes. He made it clear that the U.S. does not rely on it and does not plan to take responsibility for reopening it.
“The countries of the world that … receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” he said. “Just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.”
He also repeated his criticism of countries that have stayed out of the conflict, suggesting they should step up instead of depending on the US.
At the same time, he reassured regional partners, thanking allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. “They’ve been great, and we will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form,” he said.
‘Short-term pain’: Trump on rising oil prices
Turning to the impact back home, Trump addressed growing concerns over rising fuel prices. He blamed Iran directly, calling the spike a temporary problem caused by Tehran’s actions.
“Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home,” he said. “This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighbouring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.”
He doubled down on his long-held stance, adding, “This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons.”
A quick detour to Venezuela
In between talking about Iran, Trump briefly shifted focus to Venezuela. He praised US troops for a fast and effective operation earlier this year that removed leader Nicolas Maduro.
“We are working along Venezuela .. true partners and we are getting along incredibly well,” he said, adding that cooperation on oil and gas has been strong.