Claiming victory in the Iraq war, inciting countries to "grab oil" — A quick overview of Trump's nationwide speech

On April 1, U.S. President Trump made a brief televised address at the White House, providing the latest update on the Iran issue.

Claiming victory in military action against Iran

In his remarks, Trump himself claimed a “rapid, decisive, overwhelming victory” over Iran’s war.

Trump said the core strategic goals of the U.S. in the war against Iran were “nearly complete,” Iran’s navy has now been “completely destroyed,” and its air force and missile programs have also been severely hit. Trump said Iran’s capability to launch missiles and drones has been “greatly weakened,” and that weapon factories and rocket launch facilities are “left with hardly anything.”

On the so-called issue of Iran’s “nuclear threat,” Trump said the nuclear threat poses a huge threat to the United States, and the Obama administration has an inescapable responsibility for Iran’s nuclear threat to the United States today. Trump said U.S. forces achieved “tremendous success” in strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, reducing the nuclear threat for the United States and other countries.

Encouraging other countries to “grab oil” through the Strait of Hormuz

Trump said the United States did not need the Strait of Hormuz in the past, and does not need it now either. Trump said the United States essentially does not need to import oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and that the countries that need to obtain oil through the Strait must “take responsibility for maintaining that passage themselves.”

Trump urged these countries either to “buy oil from the United States” or to summon courage and go straight to the Strait of Hormuz to “grab oil.” He said that when the war against Iran ends, the strait “will naturally open.”

If no agreement can be reached, launch a massive strike against all of Iran’s power plants

Trump said the war against Iran is expected to be completed within “a very short period of time,” with “in the next two to three weeks, we’re going to hit them extremely hard… and negotiations are also underway.”

Trump claimed that regime change in Iran is not a U.S. goal, but at the same time he himself also claimed that regime change in Iran has already taken place. He said that if Iran does not reach an agreement with the United States within the next two to three weeks, U.S. forces will target Iran’s key objectives—“hit every single one of their power plants very, very violently”—and may also strike Iran’s oil facilities.

Trump also said that Iran’s nuclear facilities were heavily hit by U.S. forces last June, forcing Iran to “need months to come close to that nuclear rubble.” The U.S. side is closely monitoring Iran’s nuclear facilities via satellites. “If we see that they have any activity, even if it’s only a little bit of activity, we will strike them again viciously with missiles.”

In his address, Trump also emphasized that strikes against Iran do not require assistance from other countries.

Trump thanked U.S. allies in the region, including Israel and Gulf countries. He said, “They have always been great, and we will never let them come to harm or face any failure.”

After Trump’s speech, global oil prices rise—Iran launches missiles

Trump’s remarks lasted about 19 minutes. The content of the speech did not lay out a clear plan regarding the current war against Iran, nor did it answer many key questions, including why the United States is still taking military action in Iran if Trump claims Iran’s nuclear capabilities, navy capabilities, and missile capabilities have been “destroyed.” Analysts believe that after Trump’s speech, the U.S. public may be “more confused” about the war against Iran. Also, just minutes after Trump claimed he had destroyed Iran’s missile and defense systems, Iran launched missiles at Israel’s northern region.

Regarding the issue of passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which global energy markets are watching, analysts said Trump’s remarks do not appear to have convinced global oil markets that the chaos in this key shipping corridor—the Strait of Hormuz—will be eased in the short term.

After Trump’s speech, global oil prices rose. On the day, London Brent crude oil futures for June delivery saw an intraday gain at one point exceeding 4%, reaching $105.7 per barrel.

(Source: CCTV News)