U.S. President Donald Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address on Wednesday.
He said the U.S. military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age.
He delivered his 19-minute speech against a backdrop of high global oil prices and his own low approval ratings.
Key takeaways:
Trump, facing a war-wary American public and sliding poll numbers, said the U.S. had destroyed Iran's navy and air force, crippled its ballistic missile and nuclear program and would continue to hit them “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks.
But beyond that, even while saying the U.S. military was on track to complete its objectives “very fast,” he stopped short of offering a firm timeline for an end to hostilities.
The U.S. president suggested the war could escalate if Iranian leaders did not capitulate to U.S. terms during negotiations, with strikes on Iran's energy and oil infrastructure possible.
Trump’s use of his speech to reiterate threats and send mixed messages may do little to calm jittery financial markets and ease the concerns of an American public that has shown little support for the country’s biggest military operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The often conflicting signals that Trump has issued throughout the course of the conflict have only added to confusion, with the president one moment calling for a diplomatic settlement and in the next threatening to rain further destruction on Iran amid a continuing U.S. military buildup in the region.
