War was necessary, it is almost won, it will soon be over: after a month of conflict and disorganized communication, Donald Trump tried on Wednesday, April 1st, to justify the military operation against Iran to dissatisfied Americans.
On February 28th, the American president announced the start of the “Epic Fury” offensive through a pre-recorded video, broadcast from his private residence in Florida, wearing a cap and no tie. Wednesday, the “commander in chief” delivered a solemn address that would have been expected at the beginning of the conflict, live, during prime time, from the White House.
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“Over the past four weeks, our armed forces have achieved rapid, decisive, and overwhelming victories on the battlefield – victories like few people have ever seen before,” declared the 79-year-old Republican.
The speech, less than twenty minutes, was filled with hyperboles, as always with Donald Trump, but overall, it was much more restrained than his impulsive and sometimes contradictory posts on the Truth Social network.
The surge in oil prices? A “short-term” phenomenon
The American president seemed to read his teleprompter all along, without giving in to the usual off-the-cuff improvisations. “Tonight, I am pleased to say that our fundamental strategic goals are close to being fulfilled,” declared the American president, asserting that the military operation should be completed within two to three weeks. During this time, Iran will still be struck “extremely hard.”
The Republican billionaire also reiterated that if the ongoing discussions with Iranian leaders were not conclusive, he would strike “each of their power plants very hard and probably simultaneously.”
Donald Trump quickly moved on from the issue that concerns Americans and has caused him to plummet in the polls over the past month: the surge in gasoline prices. This is a “short-term” phenomenon, and the American economy has “never been stronger,” he assured, claiming that the country was experiencing “no inflation,” which is contradicted by the figures, and stating that investments were pouring in.
Donald Trump also restated that the United States, as exporters of oil, did not depend on supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by Iran. The countries suffering from the blockade of this strategic artery must “take care of it,” he said, promising not to “abandon” his Gulf allies.
Not a word on possible ground troops
He avoided mentioning a possible deployment of ground troops, a very unpopular prospect, and also refrained from launching, as expected, harsh attacks against NATO.
Donald Trump also quickly glossed over the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium reserves (“nuclear dust,” according to him), stating that they were deeply buried after the bombings carried out in June 2025 by the United States and hinting that satellite surveillance would suffice for now.
Shortly before the speech, a top White House official listed the “objectives” of the operation, as they are presented today. Namely: “destroy” Iranian missile capabilities; “annihilate” the Iranian navy; “ensure that their terrorist allies can no longer destabilize the region” and “guarantee that Iran will never have nuclear weapons.” There is no longer any mention of the “regime change” that Donald Trump may have mentioned, and the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz is not discussed.
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Opinion polls show that voters are mostly opposed to the conflict, even though Donald Trump’s “Maga” base continues to support him. They also indicate a sharp decline in what was once one of the former businessman’s strengths during the campaign. The proportion of Americans trusting the president to manage the country’s economy has dropped to 31% in the latest edition of a CNN/SSRS poll, the lowest in his entire political career.
With AFP
