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Trump Declares Iran War Nearing End, Threatens Strikes on Power Grid

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President Donald Trump used a rare prime-time address to declare that the U.S. war in Iran was “nearing completion,” even as he threatened to bomb the country “back to the Stone Ages” with strikes on power and oil infrastructure over the next two to three weeks if Tehran did not accept U.S. terms for a deal nytimes +1. The 19‑minute speech on Wednesday night came just over a month into Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign that began with strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cnn.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said U.S. and Israeli forces had “decimated” Iran’s navy and air force and “dramatically curtailed” its missile and drone capabilities, claiming that core strategic objectives were “nearing completion” and that the mission could conclude “very shortly” nytimes +1. He also asserted that Iran’s president had asked for a ceasefire, a claim Tehran swiftly denied as “untrue propaganda” reuters. The address came as air-raid sirens sounded in parts of Israel amid fresh Iranian missile launches, underscoring that fighting remained intense despite talk of an endgame bbc.

Victory Narrative vs. Escalation Threat

Trump framed the war as a necessary effort to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and to eliminate a long‑standing regional threat, arguing that “America…is winning — and now winning bigger than ever before” politico. Administration officials said the campaign had crippled Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and set back its nuclear program, pointing to nearly 900 strikes in the opening hours of the February 28 offensive and continued operations since cnn +1.

Yet the president’s stark warning that, absent a deal, the U.S. would “hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously” and bring Iran “back to the Stone Ages” raised immediate humanitarian and legal concerns bbc +1. Targeting civilian power and oil infrastructure would risk massive blackouts and economic collapse in a country already under strain, and legal experts noted that attacks on civilian objects are generally prohibited under international law unless they are clearly used for military purposes apnews. Critics said the speech outlined no clear diplomatic framework or credible timeline for withdrawal despite its promise that the war would end “very shortly” nytimes +1.

Domestic Backlash, Global Jitters

At home, Trump spoke to a skeptical public. A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken days before the address found 60% of voters disapproved of the war and 66% wanted U.S. involvement wound down quickly even if all objectives were not achieved nytimes. Lawmakers who had already condemned the initial strikes as “acts of war unauthorized by Congress” renewed calls for tighter war powers limits as the 60‑day War Powers Resolution clock loomed in late April cbsnews. Progressive Democrats questioned the legality and morality of threatening civilian infrastructure, while most Republicans continued to back the president’s approach as necessary to defeat Iran cbsnews.

Financial markets reflected unease over the mixed message of imminent victory and promised escalation. Oil prices, which had surged above $100 a barrel after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed to normal traffic, seesawed as traders weighed the risk of further disruption against the prospect of a negotiated end to hostilities washingtonpost. European and Asian leaders, already alarmed by the assassination of Khamenei and the regional spillover that has killed more than 2,000 people across Iran, Lebanon and Israel, reiterated calls for restraint and pushed ceasefire proposals centered on reopening Hormuz and limiting strikes on critical infrastructure cnn +1.

The Bigger Picture

The address highlighted the central contradiction of the month‑old Iran war: a White House insisting the conflict is nearly over while simultaneously threatening some of its most punishing blows. With Iranian missiles still flying, public support eroding and questions mounting over congressional authorization and civilian risk, the next “two to three weeks” Trump emphasized may determine whether Operation Epic Fury concludes in a negotiated climbdown or tips into a deeper, more destabilizing regional war whose costs will extend far beyond Tehran and Washington.

nytimes Reuters; bbc Reuters (Stone Ages threat); cnn Britannica, ISW; cnbc New York Times; reuters CBC; politico AP; apnews Al Jazeera; cbsnews The Guardian, Politico; washingtonpost BBC, Reuters (markets).