(LEAD) 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)

(LEAD) Trump-Iran war-address

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

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout)

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 for energy imports to "take the lead" and "take care of" the waterway, which has effectively been choked off by Iran's retaliatory strikes.

His remarks came as the Trump administration seeks an exit from the Middle East conflict amid growing concerns about the war's impact on oil prices, inflation and the overall global economy -- issues that could affect voter sentiment ahead of the U.S. midterm elections slated for November.

"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 went on to stress that the U.S. military is "on track" to complete all of America's military objectives "very shortly."

The objectives of the military campaign, codenamed "Operation Epic Fury," include destroying Iran's missile program, its navy and air force, and denying it any ability to build nuclear weapons. The campaign kicked off in late February.

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

Ratcheting up pressure on Iranian negotiators, Trump warned that if no deal is made, "we have our eyes on key targets."

"If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously," he said.

"We have not hit their oil even though that's the easiest target of all because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. But we could hit it and it would be gone."

Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran's "new regime" president has asked the U.S. for a ceasefire, fueling expectations for a potential end to the fighting. But an Iranian foreign ministry official was quick to dismiss the claim as "false and baseless."

Claiming that the U.S. has delivered "swift, decisive and overwhelming" victories on the battlefield, the president highlighted "tremendous" progress in the military campaign that kicked off in late February.

Trump also renewed calls for countries that depend on the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard the waterway, reiterating that the U.S. imports almost no oil through the strait and will not be taking any in the future.

"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. They can do it easily," he said.

"We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on."

He also repeated his earlier proposal for the countries -- unable to receive oil via the strait due to the war -- to either buy oil from the U.S. or "go to the strait and just take it."

"Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done so it should be easy," he said. "And in any event when this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally."

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved