Trump says US forces will 'finish the job' soon in first prime-time
speech since starting Iran war
[April 02, 2026]
By WILL WEISSERT, JON GAMBRELL and DAVID RISING
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will “finish
the job” in Iran soon as “core strategic objectives are nearing
completion,” offering a full-throated defense of the war Wednesday night
in his first national address since the conflict began more than a month
ago.
He used his platform before a wide audience to tout the success of the
U.S. operations and argue that all of Washington’s objectives have so
far been met or exceeded, but said Iran would continue to face a barrage
of attacks in the short term.
“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.”
But Trump also spent much of an address that lasted just under 20
minutes repeating many things he had already said in recent weeks and
providing few new details. The speech appeared unlikely to move the
needle of public sentiment at a time when polling shows many Americans
feel the U.S. military has gone too far in Iran and as gas and oil
prices remain high.
The effect on global financial markets was more immediate, with oil
rising more than 4% and Asian stocks falling after Trump's comments
about the U.S. continuing to hit Iran hard.
“Tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are
nearing completion,” Trump said. He also acknowledged American service
members who had been killed and added: “We are going to finish the job,
and we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close.”
The president didn’t mention the possibility of sending U.S. ground
troops into Iran. Nor did he reference NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance
he has railed against for not helping the U.S. secure the critical
Strait of Hormuz, where a chokehold by Iran has sent energy prices
soaring.
He also didn't say anything about negotiations with Iran or bring up his
April 6 deadline for Iran to reopen the waterway or face severe
retaliation from the U.S.
Trump encourages other countries to take the Strait
Trump ticked through a timeline of past American involvement in
conflicts and noted that the ongoing war in Iran had lasted just 32
days, seeming to appeal to the public for more time to achieve the
mission.
“World War I lasted one year, seven months and five days,” he said.
“World War II lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days.” Trump,
who was referring to the time the U.S. was involved in those wars, also
added references to Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.
He also noted that in “these past four weeks, our armed forces have
delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield.”
He said U.S. military action had been “so powerful, so brilliant” that
“one of the most powerful countries” is “really no longer a threat” —
even as Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors
early Thursday.
Trump also seemed to suggest he had ruled out going into Iran to get its
enriched uranium.
“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,” he
said. "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.”
The president encouraged countries reliant on oil through the Strait of
Hormuz to “build some delayed courage” and go “take it.”
Hours before the speech, Trump said, ‘We could just take their oil’
Trump's comments in his address were more measured than some of his
previous remarks, including earlier Wednesday at a White House Easter
lunch.
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President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall
of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
Of Iran, he told his assembled guests: “We could just take their
oil. But you know, I’m not sure that the people in our country have
the patience to do that, which is unfortunate.”
“Yeah, they want to see it end. If we stayed there, I prefer just to
take the oil,” Trump said. “We could do it so easily. I would prefer
that. But people in the country sort of say: ‘Just win. You’re
winning so big. Just win. Come home.’ And I’m OK with that, too,
because we have a lot of oil between Venezuela and our oil.”
The media was not permitted to watch the president’s remarks at the
lunch, but the White House uploaded video of the speech online
before taking it down. The White House did not return requests for
comment from The Associated Press on the video and why it was taken
down.
In the lunch — unlike in the subsequent speech — the president also
reiterated some of his complaints about NATO allies for their
reluctance to get involved in securing the Strait of Hormuz while
suggesting that Asian countries could also step up to reopen the
waterway.
“Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s
way over there, right next to a nuclear force -- let South Korea do
it,” Trump said of efforts to reopen the strait. “Let Japan do it.
They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.”
In a social media post Wednesday morning, meanwhile, Trump also
wrote that “Iran’s New Regime President” wanted a ceasefire. It
wasn’t clear to whom the U.S. president was referring since Iran
still has the same president. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman,
Esmail Baghaei, called Trump’s claim “false and baseless,” according
to a report on Iranian state television.
Hours before Trump’s address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
posted a lengthy letter in English on his X account appealing to
U.S. citizens and stressing that his country had pursued
negotiations before the U.S. withdrew from that path. “Exactly which
of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this
war?” he wrote.
Trump's objectives have shifted since the war started
Since the war began on Feb. 28, Trump has offered shifting
objectives and repeatedly has said it could be over soon while also
threatening to widen the conflict. Thousands of additional U.S.
troops are currently heading to the Middle East, and speculation
abounds about why. Trump has also threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg
Island oil export hub.
Adding to the confusion is what role Israel — which has been bombing
Iran alongside the U.S. — might play in any of these scenarios.
Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been
pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of
Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since
the start of the war.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Rising reported
from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in Washington,
Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Samy
Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.
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