Iran is “essentially… no longer a threat,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (1 April), signalling what he described as the final phase of the war with Iran. In a televised address from the White House, Trump stated the U.S.-led campaign "Operation Epic Fury" was nearing completion.
“We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump stated, while also suggesting diplomatic discussions were ongoing.
In his address, the U.S. President portrayed the campaign as an overwhelming success, claiming Iran’s navy had been “completely destroyed”, its air force left “in ruins”, and its missile and drone capabilities significantly degraded.
He also said leadership structures within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had been largely dismantled.
“Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating losses in a matter of weeks,” President Trump said.
The U.S. president framed the operation as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, reiterating longstanding accusations against Tehran over its regional activities and support for proxy groups.
He argued that allowing Iran to develop nuclear capabilities would pose an “intolerable threat” to global security.
President Trump indicated that Washington was not explicitly pursuing regime change, although he acknowledged that Iran’s leadership had effectively been transformed following the deaths of senior figures.
He warned, however, that further strikes remained on the table if negotiations failed, including potential attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure and power grid, targets he said had so far been deliberately avoided.
The president also sought to reassure Americans over rising fuel prices, blaming recent increases on Iranian attacks on commercial shipping and regional instability. He insisted the U.S. economy remained strong enough to withstand short-term disruptions.
Trump added that the United States was largely insulated from energy shocks due to domestic production, urging other countries dependent on oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz to take greater responsibility for securing the vital route.
Trump stressed that military operations would continue until all objectives were achieved.
“We are on the cusp of ending Iran’s threat to America and the world,” he said.
The remarks come as global oil and stock markets reacted negatively to the speech, reflecting continued uncertainty over the trajectory of the conflict and its economic fallout.
The United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on 28 February, targeting key military and nuclear infrastructure.
Early strikes reportedly included one that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
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Pakistan's benchmark stock index recorded its steepest one-day fall in months on Tuesday as renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran unsettled global markets and heightened fears of disruptions to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed down 3.56%.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claims it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
The U.S. has launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship and said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed to have expanded attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has promised to avenge the killing of his father, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran and Washington had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week.
Iran planned to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump, according to intelligence shared with Washington by Israel, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the conflict was "over", adding he did not want to engage with Tehran, calling the Iranian leadership "sick people".
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