Trump: US Forces to 'Finish the Job'   04/02 06:15

   President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will "finish the job" in Iran soon 
as "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," offering a full-throated 
defense of the war Wednesday night in his first national address since the 
conflict began more than a month ago.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will "finish the 
job" in Iran soon as "core strategic objectives are nearing completion," 
offering a full-throated defense of the war Wednesday night in his first 
national address since the conflict began more than a month ago.

   He used his platform before a wide audience to tout the success of the U.S. 
operations and argue that all of Washington's objectives have so far been met 
or exceeded, but said Iran would continue to face a barrage of attacks in the 
short term.

   "We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks," 
Trump said. "We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they 
belong."

   But Trump also spent much of an address that lasted just under 20 minutes 
repeating many things he had already said in recent weeks and providing few new 
details. The speech appeared unlikely to move the needle of public sentiment at 
a time when polling shows many Americans feel the U.S. military has gone too 
far in Iran and as gas and oil prices remain high.

   The effect on global financial markets was more immediate, with oil rising 
more than 4% and Asian stocks falling after Trump's comments about the U.S. 
continuing to hit Iran hard.

   "Tonight, I'm pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are 
nearing completion," Trump said. He also acknowledged American service members 
who had been killed and added: "We are going to finish the job, and we're going 
to finish it very fast. We're getting very close."

   The president didn't mention the possibility of sending U.S. ground troops 
into Iran. Nor did he reference NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance he has railed 
against for not helping the U.S. secure the critical Strait of Hormuz, where a 
chokehold by Iran has sent energy prices soaring.

   He also didn't say anything about negotiations with Iran or bring up his 
April 6 deadline for Iran to reopen the waterway or face severe retaliation 
from the U.S.

   Trump encourages other countries to take the Strait

   Trump ticked through a timeline of past American involvement in conflicts 
and noted that the ongoing war in Iran had lasted just 32 days, seeming to 
appeal to the public for more time to achieve the mission.

   "World War I lasted one year, seven months and five days," he said. "World 
War II lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days." Trump, who was 
referring to the time the U.S. was involved in those wars, also added 
references to Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.

   He also noted that in "these past four weeks, our armed forces have 
delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield." He said 
U.S. military action had been "so powerful, so brilliant" that "one of the most 
powerful countries" is "really no longer a threat" -- even as Iran kept up its 
attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors early Thursday.

   Trump also seemed to suggest he had ruled out going into Iran to get its 
enriched uranium.

   "The nuclear sites that we obliterated with the B-2 bombers have been hit so 
hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust," he said. "And we 
have it under intense satellite surveillance and control. If we see them make a 
move, even a move for it, we'll hit them with missiles very hard again."

   The president encouraged countries reliant on oil through the Strait of 
Hormuz to "build some delayed courage" and go "take it."

   Hours before the speech, Trump said, 'We could just take their oil'

   Trump's comments in his address were more measured than some of his previous 
remarks, including earlier Wednesday at a White House Easter lunch.

   Of Iran, he told his assembled guests: "We could just take their oil. But 
you know, I'm not sure that the people in our country have the patience to do 
that, which is unfortunate."

   "Yeah, they want to see it end. If we stayed there, I prefer just to take 
the oil," Trump said. "We could do it so easily. I would prefer that. But 
people in the country sort of say: 'Just win. You're winning so big. Just win. 
Come home.' And I'm OK with that, too, because we have a lot of oil between 
Venezuela and our oil."

   The media was not permitted to watch the president's remarks at the lunch, 
but the White House uploaded video of the speech online before taking it down. 
The White House did not return requests for comment from The Associated Press 
on the video and why it was taken down.

   In the lunch -- unlike in the subsequent speech -- the president also 
reiterated some of his complaints about NATO allies for their reluctance to get 
involved in securing the Strait of Hormuz while suggesting that Asian countries 
could also step up to reopen the waterway.

   "Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm's way over 
there, right next to a nuclear force -- let South Korea do it," Trump said of 
efforts to reopen the strait. "Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from 
the strait. Let China do it."

   In a social media post Wednesday morning, meanwhile, Trump also wrote that 
"Iran's New Regime President" wanted a ceasefire. It wasn't clear to whom the 
U.S. president was referring since Iran still has the same president. Iran's 
Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump's claim "false and 
baseless," according to a report on Iranian state television.

   Hours before Trump's address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted a 
lengthy letter in English on his X account appealing to U.S. citizens and 
stressing that his country had pursued negotiations before the U.S. withdrew 
from that path. "Exactly which of the American people's interests are truly 
being served by this war?" he wrote.

   Trump's objectives have shifted since the war started

   Since the war began on Feb. 28, Trump has offered shifting objectives and 
repeatedly has said it could be over soon while also threatening to widen the 
conflict. Thousands of additional U.S. troops are currently heading to the 
Middle East, and speculation abounds about why. Trump has also threatened to 
attack Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub.

   Adding to the confusion is what role Israel -- which has been bombing Iran 
alongside the U.S. -- might play in any of these scenarios.

   Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been pushing 
up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the 
international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war.