President Donald Trump’s “important update” on the war in Iran ended up being a belated sales pitch as he sought Wednesday night to rally support from U.S. voters for the conflict that began more than a month ago.
In a nearly 20-minute address, Trump described the US attack as revenge for nearly half a century of violence by Iran and its proxies and argued that the country cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
He praised the military progress made by the United States over the past several weeks, and described the weeks of bombing as “a victory the likes of which few have ever seen.” And he appealed for patience, calling the war an “investment” in Americans’ future.
Yet they provided no new answers to the main question on many voters’ minds: when exactly the war would end.
“I’m pleased to say that these key strategic objectives are about to be met,” Trump said. He declined to provide any new details on his exit strategy other than reiterating his pledge to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age” over the next two to three weeks.
The president also did not elaborate on any specific end game for the war, including whether he planned to send ground forces to seize Iran’s enriched uranium or undermine its ability to control the vital Strait of Hormuz.
As for diplomatic discussions, which Trump previously claimed were progressing, he offered no new signs of optimism. Instead, he merely repeated his threats by attacking Iran’s power plants — an action that risks widening the scope of the war that Trump has just begun to sell to the American public.
“The new group is less radical and more rational,” he said. “Nevertheless if there is no deal during this period, we have our sights set on key targets.”
<a href=