TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In his first formal national address since the war against Iran began more than a month ago, United States (US) President Donald Trump on Wednesday night claimed the US was close to achieving its objectives.
Trump said the ongoing war with Iran would end “very shortly,” but offered little clarity on how the conflict would conclude, even as he signaled the possibility of further escalation.
“We are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast. We are getting very close,” Trump said from the White House on Wednesday night as quoted by Los Angeles Times.
Despite declaring that Iran is “no longer a threat,” Trump warned that the US could intensify attacks if Tehran continues its resistance.
“If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants, very hard and probably simultaneously,” he said. “We have not hit their oil… but we could hit it, and it would be gone, and there’s not a thing they could do about it.”
Trump reiterated that the US is “on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly,” but did not outline a concrete exit strategy or timeline.
“We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” he said, while adding that “discussions are ongoing.”
The president also repeated his claim that Washington has effectively won the war, describing it as a “decisive, overwhelming victory,” even as fighting continues and regional tensions remain high.
The conflict, launched by the US and Israel on February 28, has killed thousands and disrupted global markets, particularly energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran to Blame for Rise in Gas Prices, Trump Says
After claiming military victories in the campaign against Iran, Trump focused on the war's economic impact.
He blamed Iran for an increase in oil prices that he predicted would be "short-term." The recent increase is "entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict," as cited by DW.
Trump also downplayed the economic impact of the war on Americans, including rising fuel prices, arguing that the situation would soon stabilize.
“Gas prices will rapidly come back down,” he said. “Stock prices will rapidly go back up.”
However, the conflict has begun to generate political pressure at home, with some of Trump’s supporters questioning the decision to enter another Middle East war, potentially affecting upcoming midterm elections.
Mixed Messages on War Goals
Trump’s remarks highlighted ongoing inconsistencies in the administration’s messaging. While the war was initially framed as preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the president has also claimed that Iran’s nuclear capabilities were already “obliterated.”
In earlier comments, Trump also appeared to dismiss concerns about Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
“That’s so far underground, I don’t care about that,” he said, adding that it would be monitored by satellite.
At the same time, US officials have offered shifting explanations for the war’s objectives, ranging from nuclear deterrence to missile threats and even suggestions of regime change.
Diplomatic Signals and Iran’s Response
Trump said a deal with Iran’s new leadership remained possible, describing them as “less radical and much more reasonable.”
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected US narratives about the conflict. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of spreading “distortions and manufactured narratives” and questioned the purpose of the war.
“Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?” he said in a public letter.
As the conflict enters its fifth week, uncertainty remains over both its trajectory and its conclusion, despite Trump’s insistence that the end is near.
Read: Iran Issues Open Letter to Americans, Urges Shift from War to Diplomacy
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