President Trump Addresses Nation on Epic Fury

The line of the night: “We are going to finish the job. Very fast. We are getting very close.” New York Times: In a 19-minute address from the White House, President Trump described the U.S.-Israeli war as a major success. He offered no timeline for ending the war, but said the U.S. would hit Iran “extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.” Mr. Trump repeated his threats to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure if it did not reach a “deal,” adding that the United States would return Iran to “the Stone Ages, where they belong.” The president said “discussions are ongoing” to end the war, but Iran has said no direct talks have occurred. Mr. Trump’s own intelligence agencies have assessed that the Iranians are unwilling to engage for now. (NYT)

President Trump Delivers an Address to the Nation, Apr. 1, 2026 https://t.co/QgofMPWtzW

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 2, 2026

New York Times: In a 19-minute address from the White House, President Trump described the U.S.-Israeli war as a major success. He offered no timeline for ending the war, but said the U.S. would hit Iran “extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.” Mr. Trump repeated his threats to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure if it did not reach a “deal,” adding that the United States would return Iran to “the Stone Ages, where they belong.” The president said “discussions are ongoing” to end the war, but Iran has said no direct talks have occurred. Mr. Trump’s own intelligence agencies have assessed that the Iranians are unwilling to engage for now.

Full Speech: (White House)

BREAKING: President Trump confirms that 45,000 Iranians were slaughtered by the Iranian regime in January.

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 2, 2026

The White House released a video by Secretary of State Marco Rubio laying out the case for Operation Epic Fury.

The White House: why the attack now? Well, what was Iran trying to do? Iran was trying to build a conventional shield — in essence, have so many missiles, have so many drones, that no one could attack them. And they were well on their way. We were on the verge of an Iran that had so many missiles and so many drones that no one could do anything about their nuclear weapons program in the future. That was an intolerable risk. Under no circumstances can a country run by radical Shia clerics with an apocalyptic vision of the future ever possess nuclear weapons. And the president made the right decision to wipe it out. Now, that is the goal of this operation: to destroy their conventional missiles and their drone program so they can’t hide behind it, and finally have to deal with the world seriously about never — ever — having nuclear weapons. (The White House on X)

Trump’s forthright leadership will finish the job in Iran

By Post Editorial Board, April 1, 2026:

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In under 20 minutes Wednesday night, President Donald Trump laid out the basics of what Operation Epic Fury is about, why it was necessary, how it’s going and what to expect going ahead.

Not least, he set out the massive achievements of the first month of operations, noted that he expected two to three more weeks of it — and offered a clear perspective on the length of the conflict.

Even the US role in World War One ran past a year; WW II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq all went on far longer; here, we’ve left the enemy unable to conduct any offensive operations and achieved at last some “regime change” within bare weeks.

The economic disruptions will end soon, a tiny price to pay for “a true investment in your children’s and your grandchildren’s future.”

He showed a clear resolve to finish the job and gave a definitive account of the need to do it; Americans can’t ask for more forthright leadership.

Even so, Trump said the United States is preparing additional attacks in the coming weeks even as diplomatic discussions continue.

FOX News: “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. “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing.”

“We have all the cards. They have none,” Trump said. “American involvement in World War II lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days,” the president went on, noting that the Vietnam War lasted 19 years and Iraq War lasted eight.

“We are in this military operation … for 32 days,” he said. “And the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat.”

Trump pointed to U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, saying sites hit by B-2 bombers were “obliterated” and warning the United States would launch additional strikes if Tehran attempts to recover nuclear material.

“The nuclear sites that we obliterated with the B-2 bombers have been hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust,” Trump said. “If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we’ll hit them with missiles very hard.”

The remarks come as key questions remain about the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, including roughly 900 pounds to 1,000 pounds of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to international watchdog estimates.

The conflict has driven volatility in global energy markets and rising fuel costs for Americans.

Addressing those concerns directly, Trump blamed recent increases in gasoline prices on Iranian attacks targeting commercial shipping and regional infrastructure.

“Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home,” Trump said. “The short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries.”

Trump also suggested Iran’s leadership structure has been fundamentally altered by the strikes, saying senior figures are dead and warning of additional attacks if Tehran does not reach an agreement with the United States.

“We never said regime change, but regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders’ death. They’re all dead,” Trump said. “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 further claimed Iran’s air defenses had been eliminated. “They have no anti-aircraft equipment,” Trump said. “Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable.”

The mission known as Operation Epic Fury began just more than one month ago, on Feb. 28.

Since then, U.S. forces have struck more than 12,000 targets inside Iran and damaged or destroyed 155 naval ships, according to the Central Command. Thirteen U.S. service members have died in the operations, and 350 have been injured.

“Twice this past month, I have traveled to Dover Air Force Base, and it’s been something I wanted to be with those heroes as they return to American soil. And I was with them and their families, their parents, their wives, their husbands. We salute them,” Trump said in reference to the deceased service members.

“Now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives. And every single one of the people, their loved one said, please, sir, please finish the job, every one of them, and we are going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close.”

Trump also called on U.S. allies to take a more active role in securing global energy routes, arguing that countries reliant on Middle Eastern oil should be responsible for protecting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping choke point.

Trump also called on U.S. allies to take a more active role in securing global energy routes, arguing that countries reliant on Middle Eastern oil should be responsible for protecting the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo)

“The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it,” Trump said. “We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.”

Trump suggested some nations had failed to support U.S. military efforts against Iran and urged them to step up, both militarily and economically.

“So to those countries that can’t get fuel, many of which refuse to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, we had to do it ourselves,” he said. “Go to the strait and just take it. Protect it. Use it for yourselves.”