As President Donald Trump spoke to the nation Wednesday, April 1, he framed the U.S. war against Iran as nearing a final phase while warning that the campaign would continue if a deal was not reached. The remarks, transcribed by The Associated Press, linked Trump’s account of the battlefield to claims about preventing what he described as Iranian nuclear blackmail and to his broader argument about domestic costs and energy security.
Trump began by congratulating NASA on the Artemis II launch and praising “brave astronauts” traveling on what he described as a record-setting mission. He then pivoted to the war, saying it was “just one month” since the U.S. military began Operation Epic Fury and that, in those four weeks, U.S. forces had achieved “overwhelming victories on the battlefield,” a framing that he said included the destruction of Iran’s navy and damage to its air force.
In the address, Trump said Operation Epic Fury was launched against what he described as Iran’s role as the “world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror.” He asserted that Iran’s leaders and command structures tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been struck and that Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones had been “dramatically curtailed.” He also described what he called large-scale losses for Iran “in a matter of weeks,” and he said the campaign objectives were “nearing completion.”
Trump credited earlier actions to his administration for what he described as removing obstacles to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, and he pointed to the killing of Qassem Soleimani and the termination of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by Barack Obama. He said he “terminated” that deal and argued it would have led to what he described as a “colossal arsenal” of nuclear weapons, and he said later orders included strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer.
He also described the war’s objectives as dismantling what he called Iran’s ability to threaten the United States and to support “terrorist proxies.” In that account, Trump said the campaign focused on eliminating Iran’s navy, hurting Iran’s air force and missile program, and “annihilating” its defense industrial base, and he said those actions would “cripple” Iran’s military and deny it the ability to build a nuclear bomb. He said U.S. forces were acting with satellite surveillance and control and asserted that U.S. forces would respond if Iran made a move.
Trump also addressed the human cost of the fighting, saying 13 U.S. service members had died in the fight. He described traveling to Dover Air Force Base during the month and said he met with those who returned and with their families, and he said the nation should “finish the job” by completing what he characterized as the mission objectives.
Turning to domestic concerns, Trump said the recent rise in gasoline prices was “entirely the result” of Iranian attacks on commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries. He argued that the war showed Iran could “never be trusted with nuclear weapons” and said Iranian actions would lead to what he characterized as “decades of extortion” and “economic pain and instability.” He also asserted that U.S. production and independence from Middle East oil reduce what he described as the direct impact of Hormuz Strait disruptions.
In his closing remarks, Trump warned that continued strikes were possible if negotiations did not produce a deal. He said regime change was not an explicit goal but added that “regime change has occurred” because of leaders’ deaths, and he stated that if no deal was made during the campaign’s ongoing period, the U.S. would target “electric generating plants” very hard and “probably simultaneously.” He compared the operation’s duration to several past U.S. wars and said the country was approaching an end to what he called “Iran’s sinister threat” to the United States and the world.