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Trump Iran speech takeaways: Little information on next steps, no mention of NATO – what to know
President Donald Trump addressed the nation about the Iran war from the White House on Wednesday, April 1. Here are some key takeaways.
President Donald Trump addressed the nation about the Iran war from the White House on Wednesday, April 1, saying Iran is the “most violent and thuggish regime on Earth." He said that the US military was nearing completion of its mission, and reinforced his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age.
Trump’s 19-minute speech was delivered against a backdrop of high global oil prices, as well as his own low approval ratings.
“America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning — and now winning bigger than ever before,” Trump said.
“America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning — and now winning bigger than ever before,” Trump said.
No new explanations on Operation Epic Fury
Trump said in his address that he wanted to “discuss why Operation Epic Fury is necessary for the safety of America and the security of the free world.” While he wanted the goal of his address to be to take on the confusion that has remained as his administration shifted its reasons for launching the war, he did not really offer any new explanations.
Trump maintained that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. “This murderous regime also recently killed 45,000 of their own people who were protesting in Iran, 45,000 dead,” he said. “For these terrorists to have nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat.”
Trump added, “The most violent and thuggish regime on Earth would be free to carry out their campaigns of terror, coercion, conquest, and mass murder from behind a nuclear shield. I will never let that happen, and neither should any of our past presidents.”
Trump said that Iran’s ballistic missile capacity was greatly reduced and painted Iran’s threats generally as having been wiped away. However, he neither backed up that assumption nor explained how the operation had headed off Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Trump and his administration had in the past asserted that the US and Israel “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program in strikes last summer.
Not much information about next steps
Trump said that “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” but did not explicitly talk about any preparations for a ground invasion by American troops to retrieve Iran’s enriched uranium or help secure the Strait of Hormuz. He said that Iran will find it hard to access the nuclear sites bombed last year, and that the United States has them under satellite surveillance.
“If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we’ll hit them with missiles very hard,” Trump said.
Trump is approaching the 60-day mark when he must seek approval from Congress under the War Powers Act for any military operations to continue.
Trump failed to discuss diplomatic efforts to work toward a ceasefire, after previously insisting that positive talks with Iran were underway. Iran, however, has denied the negotiations were taking place.
No mention of NATO
Trump started the week with strong criticism directed at NATO allies and other US partners for not participating in the conflict. However, in his address, he did not mention NATO at all. Trump simply said that countries depending the most on global oil shipments usually transported through the Strait of Hormuz must take the lead in protecting the waterway once the war is over.
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“The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” Trump said. “They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it.”
He added that those countries should “build up some delayed courage.” However, he did not call specific allies out by name.
“Go to the strait and just take it,” he said. “The hard part is done, so it should be easy.”
Trump went on to mention the long wars in Korea and Vietnam, vowing that the US would ultimately benefit from this one. “This is a true investment for your children and your grandchildren’s future,” he said.
