In brief
President Donald Trump addressed the nation, claiming that the US military has nearly achieved its objectives in the Iran war. He announced intentions to strike Iran 'extremely hard' in the upcoming weeks while urging allies to secure shipping lanes. The address came as the conflict continues to escalate, impacting oil prices and public opinion.
President Donald Trump has told the nation in a televised speech that the US military has nearly completed its goals in the Iran war. He vowed to strike Iran 'extremely hard' over the next two to three weeks and finish the job 'very fast', without setting any timeline for ending the conflict.In his primetime address, Trump called for countries that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz to show 'courage' and seize the key waterway, which has been effectively closed by Iranian attacks since the conflict began. The president is grappling with rocketing gas prices and sliding personal popularity ratings as the war continues into its fifth week and US midterm elections loom in November.Wednesday night's speech did little immediately to reassure global oil markets that disruption to the Strait of Hormuz shipping route will ease anytime soon. The price of benchmark Brent crude was trading at about $100 a barrel before the president started speaking. Afterwards it rose to $105.In the 20-minute speech from the White House, Trump said the US was 'nearing completion' of its 'core strategic objectives' in the conflict and had 'decimated' Iran's navy drone and ballistic missile forces.'Very shortly, we are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,' Trump said. However, he provided little insight into the state of what he described as 'ongoing' discussions with Iran's leadership, leaving open the possibility of hitting Iranian energy infrastructure if negotiations prove fruitless.'If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard, and probably simultaneously,' the US president said. Earlier in the day, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Iran had asked for a ceasefire - a claim that Iran's foreign ministry quickly described as 'false and baseless'.In his speech, Trump also called on US allies to do more to secure shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, urging them to 'build up some delayed courage'. 'Go to the Strait and just take it,' he added.Critics of the president, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, quickly condemned the address as 'rambling, disjointed and pathetic'. Schumer stated that Trump's actions in Iran would be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in US history, failing to articulate objectives and ignoring critical domestic issues.As developments unfold, American forces have reported striking over 12,300 targets across Iran since Operation Epic Fury commenced, with ongoing Iranian attacks across the region continuing to be a concern. Ipsos polling indicates that a large majority of Americans favor a swift end to the conflict, even at the expense of achieving Trump's stated objectives.