The US President vowed to bring Iran back to the ‘Stone Age’ in a televised speech on Wednesday.
The US President said his military had nearly achieved its objectives in Iran but did not offer a clear timeline for ending the conflict.
Despite pressure from allies amid declining approval ratings, Trump has refused to lay out a concrete plan to end the war, now in its fifth week.
He stressed that the US would get the job done “very quickly” and that “all the cards” were in their hands in his first prime time speech since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.
He glossed over some key unresolved issues, such as the status of Iran’s enriched uranium and access to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global oil supplies that Iran has effectively closed.
Trump has made little progress in reassuring US allies and the American public, saying the strait will ‘naturally’ open once the war is over.
The president and his advisers have offered varying explanations and timelines for the conflict, as well as what they would want from Iran to end it.
While Trump portrayed Iran as militarily neutered, he also said Wednesday night that the United States would hit the country hard for another two or three weeks.
He said that if the country’s new leaders did not negotiate satisfactorily, it would be his own. would begin attacking the country’s electricity generation and oil infrastructure.
“We’re going to hit them extremely hard in the next two to three weeks,” Trump said.
“We’ll bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong.”
Meanwhile, discussions continue.
“However, if no agreement is made in the meantime, we will keep our eyes on key targets.”
A day earlier, Trump had told reporters that Tehran did not need to make a deal to end the conflict.
