Washington, Updated at 09:42 AM Apr 02, 2026 IST
President Donald Trump told the nation in a prime-time address Wednesday that U.S. forces have nearly achieved their military objectives in Iran, but he offered no firm timetable for ending the conflict. Speaking to a public increasingly wary of war and amid falling approval ratings and allied demands for clearer aims, Trump said U.S. strikes have destroyed Iran’s navy and air force and severely damaged its ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities.
Trump said strikes would continue “over the next two to three weeks” and promised the U.S. would finish the mission “very fast,” while leaving several key issues unresolved in his remarks — notably the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium and freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel began the campaign on Feb. 28.
He warned the conflict could escalate if Iranian leaders reject U.S. negotiating terms, suggesting energy and oil infrastructure could become targets. “We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly. We’re 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,” he said. Trump also sought to reassure Americans at home, forecasting that gasoline prices would soon fall and attributing recent price rises to Iranian attacks on commercial tankers.
Markets reacted to the address: stock indexes fell, the dollar strengthened and oil prices rose as the conflict entered its fifth week.
