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

Local time on April 1, U.S. President Trump delivered a brief televised address from the White House, providing the latest update on the Iran issue.

Claiming a win in military action against Iran

In the speech, Trump himself claimed that the conflict with Iran had resulted in “rapid, decisive, overwhelming victory.”

Trump said that the United States’ core strategic goals in the conflict with Iran were “nearly complete,” that the Iranian navy has now been “completely destroyed,” and that its air force and missile programs have also been dealt a severe blow. Trump said that Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones has been “greatly weakened,” and that the weapon factories and rocket launchers were “left with hardly anything.”

On the issue of so-called Iran’s “nuclear threat,” Trump said that the nuclear threat poses an enormous threat to the United States, and that the Obama administration bears unavoidable responsibility for Iran’s nuclear threat to the United States today. Trump said that the U.S. military’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities achieved “great success,” reducing the nuclear threat for the United States and other countries.

Encouraging countries to go “snatch oil” through the Strait of Hormuz

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

Trump urged these countries to either “buy oil from the United States” or, by mustering courage, directly go to the Strait of Hormuz to “snatch oil.” He said that when the war with Iran ends, the strait “will naturally open.”

If an agreement can’t be reached, launch a ferocious strike on all of Iran’s power plants

Trump said that all military objectives in the conflict with Iran could be completed “within a very short period of time.” “Over the next two to three weeks, we will hit them with an extremely ferocious barrage… and at the same time, negotiations are also underway.”

Trump claimed that a change of regime in Iran is not the goal of the United States, but at the same time he himself claimed that a change of regime 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, the U.S. military will aim at Iran’s key targets—“hit every single one of their power plants very ferociously”—and may also strike Iran’s oil facilities.

Trump also said that Iran’s nuclear facilities were dealt a fierce blow by the U.S. military last June, forcing Iran to “need months to come close to those nuclear ruins.” The U.S. side is closely monitoring Iran’s nuclear facilities via satellites: “If we see them do anything—no matter how slight—then we will strike them again viciously with missiles.”

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

Trump thanked the United States’ allies in the region, including Israel and the Gulf states. He said, “They have always been great, and we will never let them be harmed or suffer any failure.”

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

Trump’s address lasted about 19 minutes. The speech did not disclose a clear plan regarding the current war with Iran, and it did not answer many key questions, including why the United States is still conducting military action in Iran if Trump claims that Iran’s nuclear capability, navy, and missile capability have been “destroyed.” Analysts believe that after Trump’s speech, Americans may be “more confused” about the war with Iran. In addition, just minutes after Trump claimed that he had destroyed Iran’s missile and defense systems, Iran launched missiles at northern Israel.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz passage issue that the global energy market is concerned about, analysts pointed out that Trump’s remarks seemingly did not convince the global oil market that the chaotic situation involving the Strait of Hormuz—this crucial shipping corridor—will be alleviated in the short term.

After Trump’s speech, global oil prices rose. On June delivery, London Brent crude futures’ intraday gain on June 2 at one point exceeded 4%, reaching $105.7 per barrel.

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（Source: CCTV News）