WATCH: “We’re Going to Bring Them Back to the Stone Ages” – Trump Says Iran Strikes Will Continue and All Objectives Will Be Completed “Very Shortly”, Suggests He Will Let the Strait of Hormuz Reopen “Naturally”

President Trump on Wednesday addressed the nation with an update on the Iran war, where he announced that the US is close to completing all objectives of Operation Epic Fury and appeared to signal an approaching end to the war regardless of whether Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

The President spoke for just over 18 and a half minutes in his Wednesday night address.

During the address, Trump declared, “tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion” after highlighting the decimation of Iran’s Navy, Air Force, missile progran, and ability to support terrorist proxies.

With regard to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked by targeting oil tankers navigating the critical shipping artery, Trump said, “The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait, and won’t be taking any in the future. We don’t need it. We haven’t needed it, and we don’t need it.”

He continued, “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. They can do it easily. We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.”

“Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves,” Trump demanded, adding, “Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done. So, it should be easy.” If countries do not step up and finish off Iran, he said, “buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty. We have so much.”

Still, “In any event, when this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally,” Trump said, noting Iran’s dependence on the flow of oil through the Strait.

Earlier this week, the President also suggested that he will withdraw troops from the Middle East and force Europe, Asia, and the Gulf nations to deal with Iran’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after they refused his calls for help. His comments came amid reports that Trump was ready pull out of the war without reopening the Strait.

Trump further stated on Wednesday that US strikes will continue on Iran amid negotiations, led by Vice President JD Vance to end the war. “We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong,” he said.

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

Before concluding his speech, Trump appeared to hint that an end to the war is, in fact, imminent, stating, “American involvement in World War One lasted one year, seven months and five days. World War Two lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days. The Korean War lasted for three years, one month and two days. The Vietnam War lasted for 19 years, five months and 29 days. Iraq went on for eight years, eight months and 28 days. We are in this military operation so powerful, so brilliant, against one of the most powerful countries for 32 days, and the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat.”

WATCH:

Transcript:

Trump: Essentially, I did what no other president was willing to do. They made mistakes, and I am correcting them. My first preference was always the path of diplomacy. Yet, the regime continued their relentless quest for nuclear weapons and rejected every attempt at an agreement. For this reason, in June, I ordered a strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities, in Operation Midnight Hammer. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. Those beautiful b2 bombers performed magnificently. We totally obliterated those nuclear sites. The regime then sought to rebuild their nuclear program at a totally different location, making clear they had no intention of abandoning their pursuit of nuclear weapons.

They were also rapidly building a vast stockpile of conventional ballistic missiles, and would soon have had missiles that could reach the American homeland, Europe, and virtually any other place on Earth. Iran’s strategy was so obvious. They wanted to produce as many missiles as possible, and they did, with the longest range possible, and they had some weapons that nobody believed they had— we just learned that, we took them out, we took them all out— so, that no one would really dare stop them in their race for a nuclear bomb, a nuclear weapon, a nuclear weapon like nobody has ever seen before. They were right at the doorstep.

For years, everyone has said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, but in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes. As I stated in my announcement of Operation Epic Fury, our objectives are very simple and clear. We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders. That means eliminating Iran’s Navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their Air Force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base. We’ve done all of it. Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their missiles are just about used up or beaten. Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran’s military, crush their ability to support terrorist proxies, and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb.

Our armed forces have been extraordinary. There’s never been anything like it militarily. Everyone is talking about it, and tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion. As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran. 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, and 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.

I want to thank our allies in the Middle East, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain. They have been great, and we will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape, or form. Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home. This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers in neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict. This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons. They will use them, and they will use them quickly. It would lead to decades of extortion, economic pain, and instability, worse than we can ever imagine. The United States has never been better prepared economically to confront this threat. You all know that. We built the strongest economy in history. We’re going through it right now, the strongest in history. In one year, we’ve taken a dead and crippled country— I hate to say that, but we were a dead and crippled country after the last administration— and made it the hottest country anywhere in the world, by far, with no inflation, record setting investments coming into the United States, over $18 trillion, and the highest stock market ever, with 53 all time record highs in just one year.

It all positioned us to get rid of a cancer that has long simmered. It’s known as the nuclear Iran, and they didn’t know what was coming. They never imagined it. Remember, because of our drill baby drill program, America has plenty of gas. We have so much gas. Under my leadership, we are number one producer of oil and gas on the planet, without even discussing the millions of barrels that we’re getting from Venezuela. Because of the Trump administration’s policies, we produce more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined. Think of that, Saudi Arabia and Russia combined, and that number will soon be substantially higher than that. There’s no country like us anywhere in the world, and we’re in great shape for the future. The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait, and won’t be taking any in the future. We don’t need it. We haven’t needed it, and we don’t need it.

We’ve beaten and completely decimated Iran. They are decimated, both militarily and economically and every other way. And 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. They can do it easily. We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on. 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, I have a suggestion. Number one, buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty. We have so much. And number two, build up some delayed courage. Should have done it before. Should have done it with us, as we asked. Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves. Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done. So, it should be easy.

And in any event, when this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally. It will just open up naturally. They’re going to want to be able to sell oil, because that’s all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down, stock prices will rapidly go back up. They haven’t come down very much, frankly. They came down a little bit, but they’ve had some very good days over the last couple of days. We’ve done actually much better than I thought, but we had to take that little journey to Iran to get rid of this horrible threat.

with our historic tax cuts, where people are just now talking about receiving larger refunds than they ever thought possible, they are getting so much more money than they thought. That’s from the great, big, beautiful bill. Our economy is strong and improving by the day, and it will soon be roaring back like never before. It will top the levels that it was a month ago.

I’ve made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until our objectives are fully achieved. 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’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.

In the meantime, discussions are ongoing. Regime change was not our goal. We never said regime change, but regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders’ death. They’re all dead. The new group is less radical and much more reasonable. Yet, if during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on 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. We have not hit their oil, even though that’s the easiest target of all because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. But we could hit it, and it would be gone, and there’s not a thing they could do about it.

They have no anti aircraft equipment, their radar is 100% annihilated, we are unstoppable as a military force, the nuclear sites that we obliterated with the B2 bombers have been hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust, and we have it under intense satellite surveillance and control. If we see them make a move, even a move for it we’ll hit them with missiles very hard again. We have all the cards. They have none. It’s very important that we keep this conflict in perspective.

American involvement in World War One lasted one year, seven months and five days. World War Two lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days. The Korean War lasted for three years, one month and two days. The Vietnam War lasted for 19 years, five months and 29 days. Iraq went on for eight years, eight months and 28 days. We are in this military operation so powerful, so brilliant, against one of the most powerful countries for 32 days, and the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat.

They were the bully of the Middle East, but they’re the bully no longer. This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren’s future. The whole world is watching, and they can’t believe the power, strength and brilliance. They just can’t believe what they’re seeing. Leave it to your imagination, but they can’t believe what they’re seeing, the brilliance of the United States military. Tonight, every American can look forward to a day when we are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the specter of nuclear blackmail. Because of the actions we have taken, we are on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world. And I’ll tell you, the world is watching, and when we do, when it’s all over, the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous, and greater than it has ever been before. May God bless the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much, and good night.

 

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