Donald Trump on Iran war – Artifex.News

What Trump’s speech says about his war on Iran | Analysis

admin — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:35:00 +0000

Before U.S. President Donald Trump delivered his national address on the evening of April 1 in the White House, Iran and Hezbollah launched heavy missile attacks at Israel. While Mr. Trump was speaking about America’s achievements in the war, including degrading Iran’s missile capability, missile alerts were issued in the UAE. After Mr. Trump concluded his speech, Iran launched another salvo of missiles at Israel.

What Trump said

There was much speculation on what Mr. Trump was going to say in his first primetime national address since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28. Some said he would escalate with a ground attack, while others said he would chicken out or issue a timeline to wind up operations. But the U.S. leader did not say anything new. The speech was largely a reassertion of the claims he has been making over the past few weeks. He said the U.S. was “on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly”. He also said the U.S. was going to hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks. “We are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages.”

Mr. Trump said discussions were under way and asked the Iranians to make a deal. “If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants very hard and properly simultaneously.” He said the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman that has been taken control of by Iran after the war, is not America’s problem. He had earlier asked America’s allies to send ships to reopen the Strait — which nobody is willing to do.

He also indicated that he was not considering a ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium because it’s buried deep underground. “It would take months to get near the nuclear dust,” he said, adding that U.S. satellites are monitoring Iran’s nuclear sites.

What were Trump’s goals

While the main objective of the speech appeared to make the case for the war to the American public, it also underscores the limited options Mr. Trump has in winding down the conflict. In the speech Mr. Trump praised the Venezuela attack earlier this year.

But in Venezuela, U.S. troops went in and got out with President Nicolas Maduro, handing the country to his Vice-President who is willing to work with Washington.

But in Iran, the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seemed to have strengthened Iran’s resolve to stand up to the U.S.

Also read: West Asia war updates on April 2, 2026

On February 28, when he launched the war, Mr. Trump outlined five broad objectives: to “raze” Iran’s missile industry “to the ground”; to “annihilate” Iran’s Navy; to ensure that Iran’s “proxies” could no longer “destabilise” the region; to prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon; and to bring about regime change. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” he said at the time. In his April 1 address, Mr. Trump claimed the U.S. was now completing all of these objectives.

Ground reality

The ground reality, however, tells a different story. Despite a month-long campaign by the U.S. and Israel, Iran continues to strike Israel, which is more than 2,000 km away, with ballistic missiles, and target American bases in the Persian Gulf region. Mr. Trump has claimed that he has annihilated Iran’s navy, but he is not willing to send American troops to reopen the Strait of Hormuz—no country, even Britain, America’s closest ally in Europe, wants to join this war. In fact, the U.S. Navy has stayed away from the Persian Gulf, where Iran still takes shots.

Israel is bombing Iran while carrying out a ground invasion in Lebanon against Hezbollah, an Iranian ally. But Iran and Hezbollah continue to launch coordinated attacks. Last week, Yemen’s Ansar Allah (better known as Houthis), another Iranian ally, launched a ballistic missile at Israel, formally joining the war. The Houthis, who rule almost half of Yemen, have the capability to shut the Bab el Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. If the Strait is closed, traffic through the Suez Canal will be disrupted. And if the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Bab el Mandeb are closed at the same time, it would be catastrophic for the global economy. And Mr. Trump’s last objective, regime change in Iran, remains distant. He now claims that regime change has already occurred, which is not a serious argument. The assassination of Ali Khamenei did not alter the state structure of Iran. If anything, it has strengthened elite cohesion within the Islamic Republic and further elevated the IRGC’s standing in the system.

What Mr. Trump can do is continue bombing Iran, which is what he threatened to do in his speech. He is using the threat of extensive strikes, including at civilian infrastructure, as an added layer of pressure to force Iran to shift its position and make a deal. But if Mr. Trump follows through on his threats, Iran is likely to retaliate by attacking energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf, driving up fuel prices further. Iran maintains, at least publicly, that it was in talks when the U.S. bombed the country. In the words of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Tehran is not ready for a ceasefire.

With Mr. Trump lacking an exit path and Iran prepared to absorb the costs and play a longer game, the war is likely to drag on, with serious implications for the Persian Gulf and the broader global economy.

Published – April 02, 2026 01:05 pm IST

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US President Donald Trump’s address on Iran war: Key quotes

admin — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 02:21:00 +0000

President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday (April 1, 2026), in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President Donald Trump, on Thursday (April 2, 2026), addressed the nation on the Iran-Israel war, the U.S. strikes on Tehran, and the fluctuating global oil prices.

The address included references to Iran’s plans to build a nuclear bomb and came amid a global turmoil in oil prices and supply chains.

Here are some of the key quotes from Mr. Trump’s speech:

On military operations against Iran: “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two or three weeks. We will bring them back to the Stone Age.”

On increasing oil prices and Strait of Hormuz: “This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the deranged Iranian regime”

“We are the number one producer of oil and gas on the planet. We produce more than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.”

“U.S. imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait. We haven’t needed it, and we don’t need it.”

“Buy oil from the United States of America. We have so much.”

“The countries of the world that do receive oil through the pass, they must protect the strait.”

“Build up some delayed courage. Go to the Strait and just take it. Use it for yourself.”

On the US economy: “We built the strongest economy in history. In one year, we have taken a dead and crippled country and made it the hottest country in the world.”

Also Read | Leaders killed, U.S. strikes and Iranian response: a month of Iran-U.S. war

On regime change in Iran: “Regime change has occurred because of all of their leaders’ death. Yet if there is no deal, we are going to hit each of their electric generating plants. We are unstoppable as a military force.”

“We have all the cards, they have none.”

Iran-Israel and U.S. conflict: Context

President Trump had said on March 31, 2026, that the U.S. forces would end operations in Iran “very soon,” evoking a timeline of two or three weeks as his administration pursues talks with Iranian authorities while continuing its aerial campaign.

Asked during a White House event about the impact of high fuel prices since the start of the war on February 28, Mr. Trump said that “All I have to do is leave Iran, and we’ll be doing that very soon, and they’ll tumble down.”

On February 28, 2026, in a joint operation, Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran’s Tehran, calling it a ‘pre-emptive action’. Code-named Operation Roaring Lion or Operation Epic Fury, several key Iranian cities, including Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan, were attacked.

The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as over 200 civilians.

Iran has practically closed the Strait of Hormuz in response, leading to soaring oil prices that affect global supply chains.

Published – April 02, 2026 07:51 am IST

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Trump eases oil sanctions on Iran, says Hormuz should be guarded by other nations

admin — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:25:00 +0000

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he steps from Air Force One upon his arrival in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., on March 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday (March 21, 2026) that he is considering “winding down” the war on Iran, adding that securing the Strait of Hormuz — now under Iran’s control — is the responsibility of other nations, even as Washington temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil shipments in a bid to ease the global supply crisis.

“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post, adding that the U.S. has “degraded” Iran’s missile capability, “destroyed” its defence industrial base, and “eliminated” its Navy and Air Force, including anti-aircraft weaponry. Adding that the U.S. had taken out Iran’s nuclear capability, and would never allow Tehran to rebuild it, he vowed to protect America’s allies in the region, “including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others.”

Iran-Israel war updates on March 20, 2026

‘Unlocking oil supply’

While Mr. Trump declared victory over Iran, the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday (March 20) said it was temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels, to tackle supply disruptions and rising prices.

“By temporarily unlocking this existing supply for the world, the United States will quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets, expanding the amount of worldwide energy and helping to relieve the temporary pressures on supply caused by Iran,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “This temporary, short-term authorization is strictly limited to oil that is already in transit and does not allow new purchases or production.”

The U.S. and Israel have carried out thousands of air strikes in Iran since they started the war on February 28. At least 1,400 people have been killed, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and its Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani. Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S.-Israeli strikes have destroyed Iran’s military capabilities.

Iran’s continuing attacks

Despite such claims, Iran has consistently carried out missile and drone attacks against Israel and America’s Persian Gulf Arab allies, besides taking control of the Strait of Hormuz through which one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passed before the war.

On Saturday evening (March 21, 2026), Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, said the Guards had attacked two American bases in the Persian Gulf. “IRGC pounded the facilities of the two Al-Minhad [UAE] and Ali Al-Salem [Kuwait] air bases, the hangars, and the fuel depots of American-Zionist aircraft with a massive volume of ballistic missiles and suicide drones. These bases were the origin of the aggression against #IranianIslands,” Mr. Tangsiri said in a post.

The attacks on oil facilities in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait have driven up oil, gas, and fertilizer prices. Brent crude closed at $106 a barrel on Friday (March 20), up from $72 on February 28, the first day of the war.

Changing stance on Hormuz

“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them,” Mr. Trump said, signalling that regional countries should lead any military operation to open the Strait.

Mr. Trump had earlier sought help from America’s NATO allies as well as China to open the Hormuz Strait. As most countries rejected his call, he said the U.S. did not want anybody’s help. But again, on March 20, he called NATO partners “cowards” because they did not send any assistance.

At the White House, Mr. Trump told reporters on Saturday (March 21) he was not looking for a ceasefire with Tehran. “I think we have won. I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” he said.

Published – March 21, 2026 04:38 am IST

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