Donald Trump says US strikes on Iran will continue for 2–3 weeks. Photo: White House.
US President Donald Trump on April 1 delivered his first address to the nation since the United States and Israel launched a military offensive in Iran. The operation resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other key figures in the country’s leadership.
During the address, Trump provided a major update on the ongoing war, saying the United States would continue its military strikes against Iran for the next “two to three weeks.”
He warned that the continued offensive would severely damage the country’s capabilities.
“Two to three weeks,” Trump said, adding that the campaign would “bring them back to the Stone Ages.”
In his remarks, Trump made several claims about the condition of Iran’s military infrastructure following the strikes.
According to him, Iran’s armed forces have suffered heavy damage.
“Their navy is gone, their air force is in ruins,” Trump said.
He further claimed that several senior Iranian leaders had been killed and that the country’s powerful military organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was currently being weakened by ongoing attacks.
Major Iranian leaders “are now dead,” he said, adding that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps “is being decimated as we speak.”
While speaking about the possible end of the war, Trump did not provide a precise timeline.
However, he said that American forces stationed across the Middle East would continue operations until the key objectives of the campaign were nearly achieved.
US forces in the region will “finish the job” when the “core strategic objectives are nearing completion.”
At the same time, Trump indicated that the war itself was approaching its final stage, estimating that the United States might remain actively involved for another two or three weeks.
He also signaled that Washington was prepared to escalate its military response if necessary during this period, warning again that Iran could be pushed “back to the stone ages.”
Earlier, the White House issued a press release outlining the goals of the military operation in Iran.
According to the statement, Washington’s objectives remain focused on dismantling Iran’s strategic military capabilities.
The administration said the mission’s goals are to:
Obliterate Iran’s ballistic missile program
Destroy Iran’s navy
End its support for terrorist proxies
Iran doesn’t acquire a nuclear weapon
Global oil markets reacted almost immediately after the address.
Prices rose sharply within minutes of Trump confirming that the conflict would continue for several more weeks and reiterating threats to strike Iran’s power infrastructure if Tehran failed to agree to US demands.
The price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped more than 4 percent to above $105 per barrel.
Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US oil benchmark, climbed more than 3 percent to exceed $103 per barrel following the speech.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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