Trump Vows to Return Iran to the Stone Age

“We will strike them very hard over the next two to three weeks. We will send them back to the Stone Age. Meanwhile, talks continue,” Trump said. He added that if an agreement could not be reached, “we will strike each energy facility very violently, perhaps all at once.”

Trump emphasized that the U.S. will continue targeting Iranian positions over the coming weeks. “Tonight, I am pleased to say that these fundamental strategic objectives are nearly complete,” he said. “We will finish the job, and we will do it very quickly. We are very close to the target.”

Throughout the conflict, Trump and his advisers have offered shifting statements and timelines. By convincing voters that the conflict is limited and nearing its end, the administration hopes to calm rising public concern over fuel prices and global oil supply disruptions. Trump acknowledged domestic worries over rising gasoline prices, blaming them on “irrational terrorist attacks on commercial oil tankers belonging to neighboring countries, unrelated to the conflict,” and promised prices would eventually fall.

In remarks reported by Asharq Al-Awsat from Reuters, Trump criticized allies for not supporting U.S. targets in Iran, without mentioning NATO directly. Since February 28, he has urged countries reliant on the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly one-fifth of global oil passes—to “handle this issue,” stating, “Go to the Strait, seize it, secure it, and use it.”