Trump Defends Operation Epic Fury and Threatens to Strike Iran Back to the Stone Age

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a 19-minute televised address from the White House on April 1, 2026, defending the ongoing American-Israeli war against Iran and threatening to strike the country "extremely hard" in the next two to three weeks if no diplomatic agreement is reached. Trump declared that Iran's navy has been destroyed, its air force is in ruins, and most of the regime's leaders are dead, while asserting that U.S. forces are close to completing their military objectives. The speech, delivered against a backdrop of high global oil prices and declining approval ratings, offered no concrete timeline for ending hostilities. Trump simultaneously signaled openness to negotiations while renewing threats of further escalation, sending what analysts described as contradictory messages to both allies and adversaries.

Stone Age threat paired with power plant ultimatum Trump's most pointed warning came in the final portion of the address, where he threatened to target Iranian infrastructure if talks fail.

„We are going to hit them extremely hard in the next two to three weeks. We are sending them back to the Stone Age, where they belong.” — Donald Trump via Neue Zürcher Zeitung

He specifically warned that if no deal is reached within that window, the United States would strike Iranian electric plants.

„If there is no deal in that period of time, we are hitting every single one of their electric plants very hard and probably simultaneously.” — Donald Trump via Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Earlier in the week, according to Die Welt, Trump had also threatened to target desalination plants supplying drinking water — a threat he did not repeat in the Wednesday address. Die Welt noted that Trump had originally estimated the Iran war would last four to six weeks, meaning the additional two-to-three-week window would push the conflict beyond his initial projection. The outlet also observed that Trump has previously set two-week deadlines in other conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine peace process, without following through. Trump also described the current Iranian leadership as a "less radical and much more reasonable group," suggesting the elimination of the original leadership had altered the negotiating landscape, though the U.S. government has not identified who specifically now leads Iran.

Hormuz blockade dismissed, European allies told to act Trump addressed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by arguing that the United States no longer depends on the route for its energy needs, pointing to U.S. energy independence bolstered by cooperation with Venezuela. He urged European and Asian countries that rely on Gulf petroleum to take responsibility for reopening and securing the waterway themselves.

„We do not import oil through the Strait of Hormuz, we do not need it. The countries that receive it from Hormuz should go to the Strait and get it for themselves.” — Donald Trump via ANSA

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards directly contradicted Trump's framing, stating in a declaration broadcast on Iranian state television that the strait remains under their control.

„The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is firmly and fully under the control of our naval forces.” — Iranian Revolutionary Guards via ANSA

Analysts cited by Reuters warned that Iran retains a significant bargaining chip as long as it controls the strait, which carries roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung noted that neither European nor Asian U.S. allies are likely to possess the independent military capacity to seize control of the waterway, as the Revolutionary Guards retain long-range missiles and drones capable of striking from considerable distances. Western allies, who were not consulted before the war began, have so far resisted joining the conflict.

Nuclear threat declared contained, Artemis II congratulated Trump opened his address by congratulating NASA on the launch of the Artemis II mission, which lifted off the same day, before pivoting to the war. On Iran's nuclear program, Trump claimed the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran has been effectively neutralized.

„The nuclear facilities that we destroyed with B-2 bombers were hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust.” — Donald Trump via Neue Zürcher Zeitung

He added that the United States maintains satellite surveillance over the sites and would respond with missile strikes to any detected movement. Trump also referenced the U.S. military occupation of Venezuela, crediting it with securing energy independence and describing the two countries as now operating as "joint venture partners" in oil and gas production. The speech drew skeptical coverage from European outlets: Watson.ch characterized it as largely repeating arguments Trump had made since the war began on February 28, while Die Welt described the address as internally contradictory — Trump declared the country "basically no longer a danger" while simultaneously threatening its most severe bombardment yet. Reuters reported that the speech is unlikely to calm rattled financial markets, noting that the conflict represents the largest U.S. military operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq and has generated limited public support at home.

Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, began on February 28, 2026. Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader since 1989, was killed in the initial strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. The conflict marked the largest U.S. military engagement since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, according to Reuters. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas passes, triggered what Reuters described as the worst global energy shock in history.

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