Trump says U.S. will hit Iran 'extremely hard' over next 2 to 3 weeks

▲ This file photo, released by AFP, shows U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during a swearing-in ceremony for new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 24, 2026. (Yonhap)

Trump-Iran war-address

Trump says U.S. will hit Iran 'extremely hard' over next 2 to 3 weeks

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States will hit Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks, while highlighting that its "core strategic" military objectives in the war against the Islamic Republic are "nearing completion."

In a televised address to the nation at the White House, Trump also renewed his calls for countries that rely on the crucial Strait of Hormuz off Iran to "take the lead" and "take care of" the waterway, which has effectively been choked off by Iran's retaliatory strikes.

"We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks," he said. "We are going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong."

He stressed that the U.S. military is "on track" to complete all of America's military objectives "very shortly." The objectives, which he called "simple and clear," include destroying Iran's missile program, its Navy and Air Force, and denying it any ability to build nuclear weapons.

"Tonight, I am pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion," he said.

His remarks came after he told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. military operation against Iran could wrap up within two to three weeks.

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