WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump addressed the American public from the White House on Wednesday night in his first prime-time national address since the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran in late February, declaring that American military objectives are on the verge of being achieved and that the conflict, now in its 32nd day, will conclude “very shortly.”
Speaking for roughly 19 minutes, the president said U.S. forces have achieved “overwhelming victories” but did not offer a definitive timeline as questions swirled about when and how the war could formally wrap up.
According to a White House official ahead of the address, the president was expected to reaffirm his intention to end the war within the next three weeks and relay an “operational update” on the progress of the conflict, which he and top administration officials have characterized as running ahead of schedule.
“Operation Epic Fury”: Four Goals, One Deadline
“I’ve made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until our objectives are fully achieved,” Trump told the nation. “Thanks to the progress we’ve made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly.”
The president again outlined the four core objectives the White House says it is pursuing: destroying Iran’s missiles and production facilities, annihilating its navy, ensuring Iran can no longer support regional militant groups, and guaranteeing that Tehran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
Trump reminded the nation that past American conflicts — World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the war in Iraq — lasted for years, while he expects this operation to conclude soon. “We are in this military operation, so powerful, so brilliant, against one of the most powerful countries for 32 days, and the country has been eviscerated,” he said.
Threats Against Iran’s Energy Infrastructure
In some of the speech’s most pointed language, Trump escalated his warnings against Tehran, threatening severe consequences if Iran’s leadership refuses to negotiate.
The president said the U.S. will hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks and threatened to obliterate all of Iran’s electric generating plants and target its oil sites if the country’s leaders don’t make a deal.
Trump had previously threatened to destroy Iran’s water and energy infrastructure if a deal to end the war and reopen the key trade route is not reached soon. Wednesday night’s address signaled no retreat from that posture.
The remarks drew immediate condemnation from international observers and human rights organizations who warned that targeting civilian energy infrastructure could constitute a violation of the Geneva Convention.
The Strait of Hormuz: An Economic Crisis at Choke Point
Central to Wednesday’s address was the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. Iran has effectively shuttered the passage since the war began, triggering a cascading global economic shock.
As a result of the war, Iran has sharply curtailed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, leading to higher oil prices, with gasoline in the U.S. now averaging more than $4 per gallon — a level not seen since 2022.
Higher fuel costs are beginning to ripple through prices on a wide variety of goods. The Strait’s closure has also raised the price of some fertilizers, hurting farmers.
Trump told allies that countries heavily relying on the Strait of Hormuz “must take care of that passage” and “grab it and cherish it,” suggesting nations struggling to secure sufficient fuel should purchase it from the United States. He added that once the conflict concludes, “the strait will open up naturally.”
Earlier in the day, Trump had urged allies who did not join the war but are facing fuel shortages to “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” saying the United States “won’t be there to help you anymore.”
Iran Rejects Ceasefire Claims, Vows to Continue Fighting
Hours before Trump’s primetime address, the president posted on social media claiming Iran’s president had asked for a ceasefire — a claim Tehran flatly denied.
Iran’s foreign minister called Trump’s claim “false and baseless,” according to a report on Iranian state television.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Tehran is not in direct negotiations with Washington, despite Trump’s claims that the U.S. is in “serious discussions” with what he described as a “new, and more reasonable regime” in Iran. “Negotiation is when two countries engage in talks to reach an agreement, and such a thing does not exist between the United States and us,” Araghchi said.
Iran’s foreign minister also said his country is prepared for “at least six months” of war, directly contradicting Trump’s two-to-three-week timeline for wrapping up the operation. “We do not set any deadlines for defending ourselves,” Araghchi told Al Jazeera. “We will defend our country and our people as far as necessary and by any means required.”
Regime Change and Nuclear Ambiguity
Trump addressed the sensitive issue of regime change, saying, “Regime change was not our goal. We never said regime change. But regime change has occurred because of the deaths of all of their original leaders. They’re all dead. The new group is less radical and much more reasonable.”
On the question of Iran’s nuclear capability — cited by the administration as a central justification for launching the war — the president’s position remained notably ambiguous. Trump said Tuesday, “They will have no nuclear weapon, and that goal has been attained.” But he later hinted that another president may have to return to the issue in the future, saying Iran “will not be able to do a nuclear weapon for years.”
Netanyahu, for his part, asserted that the U.S.-Israeli strikes have eliminated Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, thereby removing what he called “two existential threats” to Israel.
Lebanon, Gulf States, and the Widening War
Lebanon has become another major front in the larger Middle East war. More than 1,300 people in Lebanon have been killed in about four weeks of Israeli attacks, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, and more than a million people have been displaced by the fighting and Israel’s broad evacuation warnings.
A drone attack struck Kuwait International Airport’s fuel depots on Wednesday, causing a “massive blaze” with significant damage to fuel tanks, though no injuries were reported. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said it was working to extinguish a fire at a company facility following a separate Iranian drone attack.
Some Persian Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have privately urged the Trump administration to press ahead with strikes on Iran to ensure the regime can no longer threaten the region with ballistic missiles and drones. “Our message is: Finish the job,” said one senior Gulf official.
Public Opinion and Political Pressures
The address comes at a politically fraught moment for the administration. Trump’s approval rating has continued to slide amid the war, hitting first-term lows in both the New York Times and RealClearPolitics polling averages.
New CNN polling shows just one-third of the American public believes Trump has a clear plan to handle the situation in Iran. Americans are not sold on the war’s costs, and significantly more Americans say the economy — rather than the war — is the most important issue facing the country.
Oil prices fell below $100 per barrel, and Asian shares surged on Wednesday over renewed optimism about a potential de-escalation following Trump’s suggestion he would likely end U.S. operations within several weeks. Brent crude, the international benchmark, dropped to $99.05 per barrel in early trading.
The foreign ministers of Pakistan and China issued a joint statement Tuesday calling for talks as part of a broader peace plan, demanding a ceasefire, an end to attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
As the conflict enters its second month with no formal ceasefire in sight, the coming days may prove decisive — a sentiment echoed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who declared earlier this week that the “upcoming days will be decisive” in the war with Iran.
This is a developing news story. Updates will be published as further information becomes available.
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