In a highly anticipated address to the nation on the Iran war, President Donald Trump touted U.S. military victories and again said the conflict would be over in another “two to three weeks.”
“I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly,” said Trump, speaking from the White House. “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.”
Trump gave no definitive indication of when the war would be over and when U.S. troops would return home. He said the attacks were in the best interest of the American people.
“They were the bully of the Middle East, but they’re the bully no longer,” Trump said of Iran. “This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren’s future.”
The president’s address comes as the war with Iran approaches Trump’s original six-week estimated timeline. Trump and White House officials leading up to the event were already signaling they planned to withdraw from the fight soon.
The president and ally Israel launched the war, saying they needed to strike Iran to eliminate the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Thousands have died throughout the Middle East since the fighting began, including 13 U.S. service members and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Francesca Chambers
Trump said his administration is still looking to make a deal with Iran to end the conflict. But if U.S. officials are unable to, Trump said America will pummel their power plants.
“If there is no deal we are going to hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously. We have not hit their oil, even though that’s the easiest target of all because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding,” Trump said.
“But we could hit it, and it would be gone, and there’s not a thing they could do about it,” he added.
Trump said Iran has no anti-aircraft equipment or radar anymore. The president declared: “We are unstoppable as a military force.”
Zac Anderson
The U.S. military campaign against Iran will continue in the coming weeks, with major blows still to be delivered, Trump said.
“We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong,” Trump said, a threat he’s issued before on the world stage.
The president’s comments indicate the conflict could escalate, at least in the short term. Trump continued to threaten attacks on Iranian power plants “if there is no deal.” At the same time, Trump said America would “very shortly” achieve all of its military objectives.
Trump also talked about meeting with the families of soldiers killed in the war and said “now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives.”
“We are going to finish the job,” he added.
Zac Anderson
As the Strait of Hormuz remains a choke point limiting the global flow of oil, Trump said other nations “must take care of that passage.”
“They must grab it and cherish it,” Trump said, arguing that nations that rely on oil from the Middle East should “take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.”
Trump also said the strait will “open up naturally” when the conflict ends. About 20% of the world’s oil flows throw the strait, and Iran’s ability to block the flow of tankers has roiled the global economy, sending oil prices soaring.
Michael Loria
Trump briefly addressed rising gas prices in his address to the nation Wednesday evening.
“Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home,” said Trump, as the average price of a gallon of gas across the country tops $4. “This short term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers in neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.”
Iran has said they moved to shut down the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks. But Trump said the strait will reopen “automatically” after America stops the fight.
“Gas prices will rapidly come back down. Stock prices will rapidly go back up,” the president predicted.
Francesca Chambers
Trump said in the evening address the United States was close to reaching its objectives – but not done – in Iran after nearly five weeks of war.
Iran’s missiles are almost used up, Trump said. Tehran’s ability to support proxy groups is close to being decimated, he added.
“Tonight I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” Trump said.
Zac Anderson
Trump started his primetime address touting “tremendous progress” in the Iran war, framing his remarks as an “update” on the conflict.
The president said he wanted to tell the American people why “Operation Epic Fury is necessary for the safety of America and the security of the free world” and added that the military is “systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders.”
Michael Loria
The Pentagon has mustered thousands of troops to the Middle East in recent weeks, including elite paratroopers trained to drop behind enemy lines and Marines in amphibious assault groups.
U.S. officials have not clarified exactly why so many troops are being called to the region, and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the military will send soldiers into Iran if “needed.” Trump also previously refused to rule out deploying soldiers.
Polling released March 19 shows nearly two-thirds of Americans believe Trump will deploy troops into Iran, even though more than half of them opposed the move.
Terry Collins
In a lengthy open letter addressed to the “people of the United States,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied his nation posed a threat to America and defended Iran’s actions in the ongoing war, citing it as “legitimate self-defense.”
In the translated four-page letter posted on X, Pezeshkian wrote that the Iranian people “harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe, or neighboring countries.”
“This is a deeply rooted principle in Iranian culture and collective consciousness – not a temporary political stance,” Pezeshkian said. “For this reason, portraying Iran as a threat is neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts.”
Pezeshkian’s letter came hours before Trump will address the country on the status of the war. The president has repeatedly said his administration’s goal is to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon and said on Tuesday the war could be over in “two weeks, maybe three.”
Saman Shafiq
Trump’s national address is set to be broadcast on every major network, including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NewsNation at 9 p.m. ET. USA TODAY will also stream the address live.
The address is also expected to stream live on The White House’s website and YouTube channel.
Michael Loria
The president’s address comes as new polling suggests the war has become unpopular among Americans, most of whom want the United States to stop fighting soon.
About 66% of Americans want the United States to end its mission in Iran quickly, even if that means the country does not achieve the goals set by the Trump administration, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
Around 27% said the country should finish its mission, even if the war goes on for an extended period of time. About 6% of respondents did not answer the question.
About 40% of Republican respondents supported ending the war soon even if the president does not achieve his goals. Around 57% supported a longer war.
The survey was conducted March 27-29 and polled 1,021 people.
Michael Loria
In recent days Trump has signaled he’s ready for the fighting to end.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said Iran’s president asked for a ceasefire, and he and would consider granting it if Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the ceasefire claim “false and baseless.”
The president’s comments on a potential ceasefire come as he’s said for about 10 days that the United States is engaged in peace talks with Iran. The country’s leaders have vehemently disavowed Trump’s characterization of diplomatic exchanges.