President Donald Trump’s “important update” on the war in Iran ended up being more of a belated sales pitch as he sought Wednesday night to rally support from American voters for a conflict he started more than a month ago.
In a roughly 20-minute address, Trump cast the US’ attack as payback for nearly a half-century of violence by Iran and its proxies, arguing that the nation could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
He touted the military progress that the US has made over the last several weeks, describing the weeks of bombing as “victories like few people have ever seen before.” And he pleaded for patience, calling the war an “investment” in Americans’ future.
Yet he did not offer any new answer for the main question on many voters’ minds: When exactly the war will be over.
“I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” Trump said, declining to offer any new details on his exit strategy beyond repeating his vow to bomb Iran “back to the stone ages” over the next two to three weeks.
The president also did not articulate a specific endgame for the war, including whether he planned to send in ground troops to seize Iran’s enriched uranium or degrade its ability to control the critical Strait of Hormuz.
As for the diplomatic discussions that Trump had previously claimed were making progress, he offered no new signs of optimism. Instead, he only reiterated his threats to escalate by striking Iran’s power plants — an action that risks further widening a war Trump has only just begun to sell to the American public.
“The new group is less radical and much more reasonable,” he said. “Yet if during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets.”