The remarks came as President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night, April 1, 2026, describing the U.S. military campaign against Iran and offering what he said was an update on progress. In the address, which the Associated Press transcribed, Trump began with congratulations for NASA and the Artemis II mission, then turned to the conflict and the rationale he said underpins it.
Trump said that as of the time of his speech, it had been “just one month” since the United States military began “Operation Epic Fury,” and he framed the campaign as a rapid sequence of “swift, decisive, overwhelming victories.” He asserted that Iran’s navy was “gone,” its air force was “in ruins,” and its missile and drone capabilities were “dramatically curtailed,” along with claims that Iran’s defense industrial base had been damaged.
In the same portion of the remarks, Trump also described senior Iranian leaders and command structures in emphatic terms, and he tied those claims to a broader argument that Iran and its proxies pose ongoing threats. He said the objectives are to dismantle Iran’s ability to threaten America and to support what he described as violent networks outside Iran’s borders.
Trump also returned to a longer timeline he said stretches back decades, arguing that the United States should prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He cited what he described as a threat history, including a claim that Iran-backed proxies were responsible for attacks he listed, and he said that for that reason he would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
Trump said he took steps during his first and second terms that he linked to stopping Iran’s nuclear program, including ordering what he described as the termination of an “Iran nuclear deal” signed under President Barack Obama. He also said he previously ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in what he called “Operation Midnight Hammer,” describing the use of B-2 bombers and saying the nuclear sites were “totally obliterated.”
Trump described the current campaign’s objectives in terms of dismantling military capabilities, and he said he was “pleased” that core strategic objectives were nearing completion. He told listeners that twice in the prior month he traveled to Dover Air Force Base to meet with American service members returning from the fight, and he said he wanted to honor those who died by completing the mission.
In addition to military messaging, Trump addressed domestic economic concerns, saying that “many Americans have been concerned” about recent gasoline prices and that the increase resulted from Iran-linked attacks on commercial oil tankers and “neighboring countries.” He used those claims to reinforce his argument that Iran cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons, and he warned of what he said would be “decades of extortion” and economic disruption if Iran obtained such capabilities.
Trump also used the address to discuss energy policy and pressure on other countries, saying the United States is “totally independent of the Middle East” and urging nations that rely on the Hormuz Strait to take a larger role in protecting oil routes. He said those countries could buy U.S. oil and “build up” what he called “delayed courage,” and he said the Strait would open “naturally” when the conflict ends.
Late in the address, Trump said discussions were ongoing and added that if no deal is made, the United States would continue striking targets in Iran over the following “two to three weeks.” He said he would “hit each and every” electric generating plant, and he also reiterated that he believed key aspects of Iran’s air defenses and radar were destroyed during earlier strikes, adding that U.S. forces would respond if Iran made “a move” during the negotiations. He closed by comparing the length of the operation with several U.S. wars and by saying Americans would soon be free from what he described as nuclear blackmail by Iran.