Trump warns US will hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks, but promises objectives are ‘near completion’

One month into Operation Epic Fury, President Donald Trump said military objectives in Iran are “near completion” but promised ramped-up action in the next two to three weeks.

In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Trump touted American military dominance in the region and said armed forces have “delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield.”

“I’ve made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until ourobjectives are fully achieved,” Trump said. “Thanks to the progress we’ve made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly. We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.” 

Trump said that while “regime change was not our goal,” regime change has occurred as the original Iranian leaders have been killed. The new group of leaders “is less radical and much more reasonable,” he said, adding that if they don’t reach a deal, then the U.S. will hit “key targets.” 

“If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously,” he said. 

Hours before Trump’s address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian penned an open letter to the American public, asking if the U.S. government’s actions were truly “America First” and suggesting America was acting as a “proxy for Israel.” 

“Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?” he asked. “Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?” 

Contradicting that framing, Trump in his address reiterated that targeting Iran was “necessary for the safety of America and the security of the free world,” noting that the regime has been chanting “death to America” for nearly 50 years. “For these terrorists to have nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat,” he said. 

Trump also addressed rising oil prices, blaming the Iranian regime for “launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.” 

“America has plenty of gas,” he said. “Under my leadership, we are the number one producer of oil and gas on the planet, without even discussing the millions of barrels that we’re getting from Venezuela.” On Thursday, following Trump’s address, oil prices shot up from around $100 a barrel to $111 a barrel, price trackers indicate.