US President Donald Trump on April 1 hailed American forces' "swift, decisive, overwhelming victories" in Iran and said his administration's strategic objectives are "nearing completion," vowing that the military operation will be completed "very shortly."
Still, he signaled no immediate letup of in military action, saying US forces will hit Iran "extremely hard" for the next two to three weeks and that "we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong."
Speaking in a nationally televised address, Trump did not provide a clear exit date for the end of the conflict, which began when the United States and Israel launched air strikes against Iran on February 28. Tehran has retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz and firing missiles and drones at Israel and US Gulf Arab allies.
"Tonight, I'm pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion," Trump said in nationally televised address from the White House on April 1, his first prime-time address since the start of the conflict on February 28.
"In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield -- victories like few people have ever seen before," he said.
"They didn't know what was coming," Trump said, referring to Iran.
Critics have charged that the war is spinning out of control, spilling over throughout the Middle East and causing an energy crisis that is driving up prices worldwide.
Trump defended his actions and said it was the only way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, which he insisted would have happened had he not pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that was agreed with world powers.
The JCPOA provided Iran with relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program. Tehran insists that its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes.
Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in 2018 during his first term, saying it wasn't strong enough to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon