US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the US’s core objectives for the Iran war are nearing completion. He said Iran is now decimated both economically and militarily. He also asked nations whose oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz should go to the strait and just grab it. “They should build up some delayed courage, and grab it. Iran is decimated. The hard part is done, so it should be easy,” he said.

Trump was delivering his address to the nation from the White House.

.@POTUS “NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF WARFARE HAS AN ENEMY SUFFERED SUCH CLEAR AND DEVASTATING LARGE-SCALE LOSSES IN A MATTER OF WEEKS!” pic.twitter.com/2eZjsVUz56

— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 2, 2026

He said US will hit Iran so hard in 2-3 weeks it would be sent “back to the Stone Age”. He said it took the US 32 days to decimate “one of the most power countries”. “We will continue until our objectives are fully achieved. Thanks to the progress, we’ve made, I can say we are on track to complete all of America’s objectives shortly, very shortly,” the Trump said.

He also said the families of the 13 US soldiers killed in the war have pleaded with him to “finish the job”.

ALSO READ | Gold falls as Trump gives no clarity on ending Iran war

Trump said in the four weeks of the US’s launched Operation Epic Fury, “our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories like few people have ever seen before.”

“Tonight, Iran’s navy is gone. Their air force is in ruins. Their leaders, most of them terrorists, the regime they led, are now dead,” he said. “Their command and control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is being decimated as we speak. Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed, and their weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces. Very few of them left.”

Trump said he ordered Operation Midnight Hammer to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities. “We are systematically destroying their defence capabilities… Their navy is gone,” he said.

President Trump delivers remarks on Operation Epic Fury from the White House.

“Our enemies are losing. And America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning.” – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/zZ6YOaSJHZ

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

“For years Iran has been chanting death to America… and the carried out countless heinous acts. This murderous regime killed 45,000 of its own people,” Trump said. He said the situation has been going on for 45 years and that it should have been stopped by his predecessor.

Obama gave Iran 1.5 billion Dollars cash to develop a nuclear bomb to earn their respect but they laughed, Trump alleged.

“We are working with Venezuela for oil production. We are totally independent of the Middle East. We don’t need their oil,” he further said. He said the “short-term oil price rise” was the result of Iran’s bolckade and had nothing to do with the war.

ALSO READ | Trump’s oil power play: US President’s suggestion to allies — buy US oil and ‘grab Hormuz’

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated that American forces would withdraw from Iran “fairly soon,” while keeping the option open for limited, targeted strikes if required. His remarks came as tensions escalated, with Tehran reportedly targeting an oil tanker near Qatar and striking Kuwait’s airport amid ongoing air raids inside Iran.

In a phone interview with Reuters, Trump declined to provide a specific timeline for ending US involvement in the conflict. “I can’t say exactly but we’ll be out pretty quickly,” he said when asked how long Washington intended to stay engaged.

He had earlier claimed that the US had “won the war” and that Tehran was “begging for a deal”, a claim Iran has repeatedly denied. In fact, after Trump said that the US may get out of the Middle East war in two-three weeks, Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his nation was ready to sustain the conflict for at least six months.

Trump further told Reuters that he is “absolutely” weighing the possibility of pulling the United States out of NATO, the military alliance established in 1949 and approved by the US Senate.

“They haven’t stood by us when it mattered. We don’t ask much of them; it’s been a one-way street,” Trump told the news agency.

ALSO READ | Global oil prices jump over 4% after Trump’s ‘grab Hormuz’ speech leaves markets guessing

On the issue of nuclear weapons, Trump claimed that recent US actions in Tehran had effectively eliminated Iran’s ability to develop atomic capabilities.

“They won’t have a nuclear weapon because they’re no longer capable,” he said, adding that US forces would withdraw but remain prepared to return for “spot hits” if necessary.

Iran, however, has consistently denied pursuing nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes.

Trump also voiced optimism about reaching a ceasefire agreement with Iran’s new leadership following the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in airstrikes.

“We’ve seen a full regime change,” he said, adding that prospects for a deal were strong as Iranian leaders seek to avoid further attacks.

Responding to concerns about Iran’s existing stockpile of enriched uranium, Trump said it was deeply buried and not an immediate concern. “That’s so far underground, I’m not worried about it. We’ll continue monitoring it by satellite,” he said.