Donald Trump speaks from the White House about the US-Israel War on Iran, April 2, 2026 (Sky)
EA on International Outlets: US-Israel War on Iran — Trump’s Deception and Incoherence
EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Will Trump Risk Ground Troops in Iran?
UPDATE 0703 GMT:
Israel says Iran has launched four waves of missiles within six hours.
In the UAE, Air defenses intercepted a missile near Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Economic Zones. Authorities said there was minor damage and no injuries.
The US Embassy in Baghdad has urged Americans to leave Iraq, warning that “Iran-aligned militias” may carry out attacks in central Baghdad within 24 to 48 hours.
These actors may target U.S. citizens, companies, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other sites believed to be associated with the United States, in addition to Iraqi institutions and civilian targets.
UPDATE 0655 GMT:
More than 5,000 people have been killed in Iran and across the Middle East since the start of the US-Israel War on February 28.
The US-based human rights group HRANA reports the killing of 3,519 people in Iran. They include 1,598 civilians, among them at least 244 children.
Lebanese authorities say 1,318 people have been killed by Israel’s attacks since March 2, including at least 124 children. More than 400 fighters from Hezbollah have been slain.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: In a highly-touted prime-time speech on Wednesday night, Donald Trump said nothing new about the US-Israel War on Iran.
Surrounded by US and military flags and standing at a podium in the Cross Hall of the White House, Trump largely stuck to reading a 19-minute script in an uncharacteristally flat, listless voice.
He blustered about destruction of Iran, including its armed forces; assassination of leaders; and supposed military success. He put out his stock phrases about “Operation Epic Fury” and “swift, decisive, overwhelming victories, victories that few people have seen before”. He proclaimed, “We are winning bigger than ever before.”
But he said little about political objectives, let alone the current situation with the Iranian regime and across the Middle East, after a month of US and Israeli attacks and Iran’s retaliation.
Offering no evidence or substantive information, he insisted that the war was “nearing completion”, as he said Tehran would be struck “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks: “We are going to bring them back to the Stone Age where they belong.”
“We are on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world. We have all the cards. They have none,” he read.
Trump offered nothing beyond continuation of missile strikes to pursue regime surrender. He did not reiterate his falsehoods about “productive talks” with Iran, or speak about the possibility about ground operations on Iranian islands or its southern coast.
Having failed to break Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 25% of the world’s maritime oil and around 20% of maritime gas passes, he handed the issue to other countries with the command, ““Just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves. Grab it and cherish it.”
The invocation failed to convince oil and stock markets. The price of Brent crude oil rose 6% to more than $107 per barrel on Thursday morning. Asian markets slumped, with Japan’s Nikkei down 1.8% and South Korea’s Kospi sliding 3.6%. US stock futures dropped 1% and Europe’s more than 1.5%.
Trump, whose approval rating has slumped to 39%, acknowledged “many Americans are concerned” about the surge in gasoline prices. However, he absolved himself of any responsibility: “This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries.”
He immediately left the issue, saying, “This proves that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear issues”. He then declared that he had taken a “dead and crippled” US and made it “the hottest country in the world”.
He said the US stock market, which has fallen by almost 8% since the start of the war, is doing “much better than we thought”: “We had to take this little journey to Iran to get rid of this horrible regime.”
