Trump Threatens to Hit Iran 'Extremely Hard,' Warns of Attacks on Electric Plants in Prime-Time Address

In his first prime-time address from the Oval Office since the Iran conflict began over a month earlier, President Trump threatened to hit Iran 'extremely hard over the next 2 to 3 weeks' if no deal was reached. He specifically warned that the U.S. would target 'each and every one of their electric generating plants,' stating the goal was to 'bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.' While claiming the military operation was 'very close' to completion and that 'core strategic objectives including degrading Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities are nearing completion,' Trump's escalatory rhetoric rattled global markets, causing oil prices to surge more than 4% and Asian stocks to fall. The speech aimed to convince an increasingly skeptical American public that the war was necessary due to Iran's nuclear program, though Trump provided conflicting messages about both the war's necessity and its imminent conclusion. International legal experts raised concerns about the expl...

"We will hit Iran extremely hard over the next 2 to 3 weeks. If there's no deal, we will hit each and every one of their electric generating plants and bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong." — Prime-time Oval Office address to the nation regarding ongoing Iran military conflict