As the war with Iran nears its sixth week, President Trump told the nation Wednesday that the U.S. is “on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world.” In his first formal address since the U.S. and Israel began strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, Trump said the U.S. was “on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly,” but did not give a timeline for an end to the conflict.
Trump warned of an intensified period of attacks on Iran, extending beyond an earlier five-week estimate. “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” he said. He also signaled that if talks with Iran fail, U.S. forces would target Iran’s energy infrastructure and oil industry. “We have all the cards,” he added. “They have none.”
Iran continued to strike Gulf countries with ballistic missiles and drones into Thursday. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert warning of plots by Iran-aligned militias to attack central Baghdad in the next 24 to 48 hours and urged U.S. citizens to leave Iraq immediately. The alert said militias may target U.S. citizens, businesses, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports and other locations associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian targets.
An American freelance journalist, Shelley Kittleson, was reportedly kidnapped in Baghdad and is believed held by Kataib Hezbollah, according to reporting by the New York Times. The militia has reportedly contacted Iraqi authorities to demand the release of detained members in exchange.
In the Gulf, Saudi authorities said they intercepted and destroyed four drones and a ballistic missile fired at the oil-rich Eastern Province. Bahrain closed a major highway for hours because of falling debris and sounded sirens for incoming strikes. Kuwaiti media reported that fuel depots at Kuwait International Airport were set on fire after an Iranian drone attack, causing serious damage.
The U.S. Central Command said late Wednesday it had struck more than 12,300 targets since the campaign began, focusing on what it called the Iranian regime’s security apparatus and targets posing “imminent threats.” Central Command said U.S. forces have destroyed or damaged over 155 vessels since the start of the war. Targets publicized on military social posts included command centers, Revolutionary Guard positions, air defenses, ballistic missile sites, navy ships and submarines, anti-ship missile sites, and facilities tied to drone and other weapon production.
Trump sought to shift responsibility for protecting a key global shipping route, telling nations that use the Strait of Hormuz to defend it themselves. The strait has been choked by Iranian actions, disrupting oil shipments and pushing up global prices for oil, gas and fertilizer. “The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it,” he said. He proposed that affected countries buy U.S. oil or take control of the passage.
The United Kingdom hosted a virtual meeting of 35 countries Thursday to discuss reopening the strait and restoring freedom of navigation; attendees included Canada, several European nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The U.S. was not scheduled to attend. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said participants would assess “all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities.” Starmer reiterated that Britain would not enter the war: “This is not our war and we’re not going to get dragged into it,” he said, while adding that closer defense and economic ties with Europe were needed. He said military planners would meet to consider naval options but acknowledged keeping the strait open “will not be easy.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai condemned Trump’s address as part of a “vicious cycle of war, negotiations and ceasefire and then repeating the same pattern,” calling it disastrous “not only for Iran, but for the entire region and beyond.” He said Iran was defending itself against an “illegal war.”
Earlier Wednesday, Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, published a letter to the American people questioning the justification for the U.S.-led campaign and accusing the U.S. administration of acting against American interests. “Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war? Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?” he asked. Pezeshkian defended Iran’s strikes as a “measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense, but by no means an initiation of a war of aggression,” and offered a rhetorical choice between confrontation and engagement, saying the world stands at “a crossroads.”
Pezeshkian’s influence within Iran’s current leadership is unclear after U.S. and Israeli strikes in late February that have damaged Tehran’s regime structure, including the reported deaths of senior commanders.
Meanwhile, Israel continued airstrikes on Lebanon, launching another wave of attacks overnight in Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area associated with Hezbollah. Lebanon’s government said at least 50 people were killed across the country on Wednesday. In southern Lebanon, Israeli tanks moved into areas from which Hezbollah has been firing rockets after Lebanese Army tanks withdrew. Israel’s defense minister said he was creating a security zone and destroying villages in a “Gaza model” aimed at preventing Hezbollah from using those areas to launch attacks. Many residents have fled following Israeli evacuation orders.
Trump pledged support to Middle Eastern U.S. allies in his address. “They’ve been great, and we will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form,” he said.
As the conflict evolves, key concerns include the safety of civilians across the region, the security of shipping lanes and global energy markets, and the potential for wider regional escalation.