THE SPEECH: President Donald Trump’s address to the nation at the one-month mark of the Iran war was not his trademark high-energy stemwinder. Instead, the 18-and-a-half-minute speech, largely read from a teleprompter, was a measured recitation of many of the talking points Trump made over the past weeks, including passages he read almost verbatim from his social media posts on Truth Social.
It was a tossed salad of contradictions. On the one hand, Trump said of Iran, “Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed.” At the same time, he blamed the high price of gas on Iran “launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries.”
“We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” Trump said, but warned that this month will see an escalation of U.S. attacks. “We are 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.”
After saying he doesn’t need a deal to end the war, Trump threatened, “If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.”
“Regime change was not our goal,” Trump insisted, saying it occurred nevertheless because Israel killed “all of their original leaders.”
“They’re all dead,” Trump said. “The new group is less radical and much more reasonable.”
Trump also repeated his claim that he has no incentive to reopen the Strait of Hormuz because the “U.S imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait, and won’t be taking any in the future.” As any expert on the oil market would tell you, because oil is a fungible commodity, it doesn’t matter where the U.S. gets its oil. The global supply sets the price, which is why gas is now over $4.00 a gallon.
Nevertheless, Trump has washed his hands of any responsibility for restoring commerce through the vital waterway. “The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily.”
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here are some key excerpts from last night’s speech:
“In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories like few people have ever seen before … Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks. Our enemies are losing. And America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning, and now winning bigger than ever before.”
“Our objectives are very simple and clear. We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders. That means eliminating Iran’s navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their air force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base … Our armed forces have been extraordinary. There’s never been anything like it militarily. Everyone is talking about it. And, tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion.”
“I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly. We are 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 … We are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close.”
“In any event, when this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally. It’ll just open up naturally. They’re going to want to be able to sell oil, because that’s all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume flowing, and the gas prices will rapidly come back down. Stock prices will rapidly go back up.”
“The nuclear sites that we obliterated with the B-2 bombers have been hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust. And we have it under intense satellite surveillance and control. If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we will hit them with missiles very hard again. We have all the cards.”
“This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren’s future … Tonight, every American can look forward to a day when we are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the specter of nuclear blackmail. Because of the actions we have taken, we are on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world. And I will tell you, the world is watching. And when we do, when it’s all over, the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous, and greater than it has ever been before.”
TRUMP SAYS IRAN WAR TO CONTINUE FOR UP TO THREE WEEKS: ‘BRING THEM BACK TO THE STONE AGES’
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PREDICTABLE REACTION: Trump’s critics — in particular Democrats in Congress who had been clambering for the president to address the nation directly to make the case for war — were quick to pronounce themselves unsatisfied with his speech.
“President Trump’s address tonight did little to answer the most basic questions the American people deserve when our nation is engaged in a costly and dangerous conflict with Iran,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. “We are told there is a new regime in Iran, but there is no evidence it is any better – and in many ways it may be worse. There is still no clear plan to secure Iran’s nuclear material, its ballistic missile capabilities remain a threat, and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. At the same time, the administration is easing oil sanctions in a way that is sending billions of dollars back to the very regime we are confronting.”
“From the start, the goals of this war have changed, the strategy remains unclear, and it has only exacerbated the cost-of-living crisis for everyday Americans,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in her post-speech statement. “President Trump owes the American people an explanation as to why we are fighting this war. We did not get that tonight. It is increasingly clear that this reckless war has not made us stronger, and the ever-changing goals have not been met.”
“No American is going to bed tonight with a more clear picture of what the endgame is and when this is going to wrap up,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), said in an appearance on CNN. “The double speak tonight was pretty astonishing, right? He said, We don’t need their oil, but we do want their oil. We don’t care whether the Straits are opened, but all our allies should go and open the Straits. We’ve already won the war, but we haven’t won the war, we have to actually do more intense bombing over the next couple of weeks. We didn’t do regime change, but we did do regime change. So, one minute to the next, he was saying the opposite of what he said during the speech.”
‘THE UPCOMING DAYS WILL BE DECISIVE’: Trump has been very cagey about the possible use of U.S. ground troops to seize islands in the Strait of Hormuz or in the Northern Gulf, where Iran’s Kharg Island could be captured to further squeeze Iran. But the most dangerous option would be to send in elite commanders to extract the near-bomb-grade enriched uranium that is believed to be buried under the rubble of Iran’s Ifrahan nuclear site.
The Washington Post reports this morning that, at President Trump’s request, the Pentagon briefed the president in the past week on a complex contingency plan laying out how — if ordered — U.S. forces would carry out such an audacious mission.
The plan to seize nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium “would involve flying in excavation equipment and building a runway for cargo planes to take the radioactive material out.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Trump was “weighing a military operation,” and was “generally open to the idea,” but “hasn’t made a decision on whether to give the order.”
“As thousands of additional U.S. troops arrive in the Persian Gulf, military officials are planning for two potential ground assaults in Iran: one on Kharg Island, the hub of the country’s energy industry, and the other to seize enriched uranium,” The Atlantic reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. “They just need the go-ahead from President Trump.”
“Trump has not decided whether to authorize either of these options,” the officials told The Atlantic. “And he ultimately may not pursue them.”
At this week’s Pentagon briefing, War Secretary Pete Hegseth cryptically hinted, “The upcoming days will be decisive,” and, when asked about the possible use of ground troops, launched into a lecture about never foreclosing options.
“It’s sort of military 101. Don’t tell your enemy what you’re willing to do or not do,” Hegseth said. “The enemy, our adversary, right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are. And so if we needed to, we could execute those options on behalf of the President of the United States and this department, or maybe we don’t have to use them at all.”
Meanwhile aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush along with three escort destroyers are en route to the region, along with thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division.
TRUMP’S LATEST NATO THREAT: Trump’s long-simmering antipathy toward NATO has once again caused him to start musing publicly about withdrawing from the 77-year-old alliance.
When Connor Stringer, Chief Washington Correspondent for the British newspaper The Telegraph, made a cold call to Trump’s mobile phone on Wednesday night, he asked him point-blank if he would be reconsidering America’s membership in NATO after the Iran war is over.
“Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration,” Trump said. “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”
The comment quickly drew rebuke on both sides of the Atlantic.
“It is not a ‘paper tiger’ – it is the most successful military alliance in modern history,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), “and Donald Trump’s threat to pull the United States out of NATO is reckless, dangerous, and plays directly into the hands of our adversaries.”
“Alliances are not transactional. They are built on trust, shared values, and a recognition that we are stronger together than we are alone,” Warner said.
“Congress will not sit by while this president tries to unravel an alliance that has kept Americans safe for decades.”
“The threat of NATO’s break-up, easing sanctions on Russia, a massive energy crisis in Europe, halting aid for Ukraine, and blocking the loan for Kyiv by Orbán – it all looks like Putin’s dream plan,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a post on X.
“I can promise this: The Senate will not vote to leave NATO and abandon our allies just because Trump is upset they wouldn’t go along with his reckless war of choice,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) posted on X, in which he reposted an 2023 video clip in which then-senator Marco Rubio said, “No U.S. President should be able to withdraw from NATO without Senate approval.”
“Thank you to @SecRubio for sponsoring the bill in 2023 requiring a two thirds vote of the Senate to make sure clueless presidents couldn’t act on a whim,” Schumer posted.
NATO CHIEF TO VISIT TRUMP AFTER PRESIDENT THREATENS TO EXIT MILITARY ALLIANCE
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Trump says Iran war to continue for up to three weeks: ‘Bring them back to the stone ages’
Washington Examiner: Trump says leaving ‘paper tiger’ NATO is now ‘beyond reconsideration’
Washington Examiner: NATO chief to visit Trump after president threatens to exit military alliance
Washington Examiner: Iran’s president says US strikes plant ‘seeds of resentment’ in letter to America
Washington Examiner: Iran launches mass text-based recruitment drive, including minors, to join targeted security forces
Washington Examiner: US diplomatic relations with Spain continue to fray over assisted suicide controversy
Washington Examiner: Trump demands Congress pass ICE and Border Patrol funding bill by June 1
Washington Examiner: Mike Johnson panned for ‘caving’ to John Thune in potential DHS shutdown offramp
Washington Examiner: US lifts sanctions on interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez
Washington Examiner: AOC vows to oppose all US military aid to Israel in policy shift
Washington Examiner: Border Patrol chief Michael Banks hit with prostitution allegations by agents
Washington Examiner: FBI investigated former Capitol Police officer in Jan. 6 pipe bomb case, filings say
Washington Examiner: Three former FBI agents sue Patel and Bondi over alleged unlawful firings
Washington Examiner: State Department says it warned US journalist of threats against her before abduction
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Turkey is the NATO ally Trump should pressure first
AP: False claims Trump made as he addressed the nation about Iran
Washington Post: Risky Commando Plan to Seize Iran’s Uranium Came at Trump’s Request
The Atlantic: Trump’s Fateful Choice
The Telegraph: Trump interview: I am strongly considering pulling out of Nato
AP: NATO gets bipartisan support ahead of Trump speech
Defense News: Iranian Strikes Target the Infrastructure Behind US Airpower
Breaking Defense: Air Force Strategy to Protect Aircraft Was Designed for China. Will It Work for Iran?
Wall Street Journal: America’s Best New Weapon in Iran Is a Drone Inspired by Iran
DefenseScoop: Army Tests Autonomous Strike Drone Featuring AI-Enabled Targeting Capabilities
Task & Purpose: Troops in Qatar, UAE, 8 Other Regions Now Get Combat Pay for Epic Fury
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New EA-37B Electronic Attack Planes Spotted in UK, Join Iran Fight
Breaking Defense: Pentagon, Boeing Announce Plan to Triple Patriot PAC-3 Seeker Production
Defense One: Startup Debuts Agentic AI Assistant for War
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Saltzman: Space Force Guardians ‘Integrated Throughout’ Iran Ops
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Wants More Testers, Looking at Own Test Center to Deliver Faster
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Pentagon Report Shows Dip in Air Force Suicides in 2024, Data on Job Specialties
THE CALENDAR:
THURSDAY | APRIL 2
11 a.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual forum: “Diplomacy During War: Priorities for the Trump Administration,” with Emily Harding, director, Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program; Richard Nephew, WINEP adjunct fellow; Michael Singh, WINEP senior fellow; and Nancy Youssef, defense journalist at the Atlantic https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
2 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “What is the New Paradigm of U.S.-Venezuela Relations Post-Maduro?” with Francisco Rodriguez, professor of practice of international and public affairs, University of Denver School of Global and Public Affairs; Julia Buxton, professor, justice studies at Liverpool John Moores University; Orlando Perez, professor, political science at the University of North Texas at Dallas; and Lee Schlenker, research associate with the Quincy Institute’s Global South Program https://quincyinst.org/events/what-is-the-new-paradigm-of-u-s-venezuela-relations
FRIDAY | APRIL 3
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “The Challenges to Ensuring Nuclear Deterrence,” with Air Force Lt. Gen. Jason Armagost, deputy commander, Global Strike Command https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/the-challenges-to-ensuring-nuclear-deterrence11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Adapting Under Fire: Ukraine’s Race to Reinvent Modern Defense,” with active-duty air defense operators from the Ukrainian army and air force, and Kateryna Bondar, fellow, CSIS Wadhwani AI Center https://www.csis.org/events/adapting-under-fire-ukraines-race-reinvent-modern-defense
