U.S. PresidentĀ Donald Trumpās prime-time addressĀ at 9 p.m. EDT offers an update on the progress made toward achieving his goals in the war with Iran, which are to destroy the countryās missile production and Navy, ensure its proxies can no longer destabilize the region and guarantee Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
TrumpĀ earlier Wednesday claimedĀ Iranās president wanted a ceasefire ahead of his speech to the American people.Ā TrumpĀ made the claim on his Truth Social website. Iranās Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Trumpās remarks were āfalse and baseless.ā
The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. BushĀ is slated to go to the Middle EastĀ along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors. It comes as thousands ofĀ soldiers from the 82nd Airborne DivisionĀ have also begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other U.S. officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Meanwhile, U.S. gas prices jumped past an average ofĀ $4 a gallonĀ for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues toĀ push fuel prics higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businessesā transportation and packaging costs pile up.
Here is the latest:
āWeāre there to help our alliesā:Ā TrumpĀ once again shifts reasoning for Iran war
TrumpĀ and members of his administrations have cited many reasons and rationales for why the U.S. joined Israel on Feb. 28 in launching a war against Iran. In his first address to the nation since the start of the Iran war,Ā TrumpĀ says the military action is not for getting any of the countryās vast resources, including oil, but instead to help Americaās allies.
āWeāre now totally independent of the Middle East, and yet we are there to help,ā he said. āWe donāt have to be there. We donāt need their oil. We donāt need anything they have.ā
But, he added, āweāre there to help our allies.ā
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TrumpĀ begins address on Iran commending āswift, decisive, overwhelming victoriesā
Speaking in the Cross Hall at the White House,Ā TrumpĀ said Wednesday night that Operation Epic Furyās actions over the past month meant that Iranās āability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed, and their weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces.ā
TrumpĀ also said that the countryās ānavy is gone, their air force is in ruins,ā and the countryās leaders, āare now dead.ā
He also said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps āis being decimated as we speak.ā
TrumpĀ says heās not sure people in the US āhave the patienceā for Iran war to continue
In his private remarks at an Easter lunch at the White House, the president seemed to reflect the domestic pressure heās feeling to wrap up the war. He said that the U.S. could āvery easilyā take Iranās oil but said it āis unfortunateā that there did not seem to be patience among the American people for such an effort.
āThey want to see it end,ā he said.
TrumpĀ said he would prefer to take Iranās oil ābut people in the country sort of say, āJust win. Youāre winning so big. Just win. Come home.ā And Iām OK with that too,ā he said.
Video of the speech was posted online by a Business Insider reporter who said he noticed the White House had uploaded video of the closed-press event and downloaded it before it was later made private. The White House did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on why it took the video down.
United Arab Emirates warns public early Thursday about a missile threat from Iran
A series of blasts could be heard in Dubai as air defenses worked to intercept the Iranian barrage.
The attack happened just before U.S. President Donald Trumpās speech to the American people about the war.
TrumpĀ says China, Japan and South Korea should also be involved in opening the Strait of Hormuz
The president has previously directed much of his anger at NATO allies for their reluctance to get involved in securing the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. and Israel finish prosecuting their war against Iran.
But in his remarks at the private Easter lunch he hosted at the White House on Wednesday,Ā TrumpĀ also expressed frustration with some Asian countries that are more reliant on Gulf oil than the U.S.
āLet South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harmās way over there, right next to a nuclear force ā let South Korea do it,āĀ TrumpĀ said. āLet Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.ā
TrumpĀ at private lunch ahead of Iran speech derides NATO as āvery bad alliesā and āpaper tigerā
āNATO treated us very badly, and you have to remember it because theyāll be treating us badly again if we ever need them,āĀ TrumpĀ fumed anew about the alliance. āAnd hopefully, weāre never going to need them. I donāt think weāll need them. I donāt think they can do very much.ā
TrumpĀ added, āNATO wonāt be there if we ever have the big one.ā
The presidentās scathing comments came during remarks at a private lunch on Wednesday at the White House thatĀ TrumpĀ hosted to mark the coming Easter holiday. Video of the speech was posted online by a Business Insider reporter who said he noticed the White House had uploaded video of the closed-press event and downloaded it before the White House later made it private.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on why it took the video down.
3 children injured in central Israel in Iranās first missile attack on Thursday
Israelās emergency services say a 12-year-old and two 7-month-olds were mildly injured from shattered glass in central Israel in the first launch of missiles Thursday from Iran.
A 24-year-old was also mildly injured in the same overnight incident in Bnei Brak, a city east of Tel Aviv thatās been struck repeatedly during the war, according to Magen David Adom rescue services. On Wednesday morning there, an 11-year-old girl was injured by shrapnel in another missile strike and she remained in critical condition, the medical service added.
Israelās military said it was working to intercept another missile launch from Iran early on Thursday morning.
Israeli military says Iran has launched its first missile barrage of the day
Very early on Thursday, Israelās military said Iran had launched missiles at the country, the first time of the day.
Sirens sounded the alert in Tel Aviv, central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank.
Secretary-General Rutte to visit Washington next week asĀ TrumpĀ continues to lash at NATO
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is scheduled to visit Washington next week asĀ TrumpĀ continues to lash at members of the military alliance for rejecting the U.S. leaderās call to help open up the Strait of Hormuz.
The visit by Rutte was confirmed by a White House official who was not authorized to comment on the yet to be formally announced visit and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
TrumpĀ and Rutte have a good relationship, but the president has sounded increasingly annoyed with alliance members as the Iran war grinds on, particularly the United Kingdom and France.
The dynamic is creating uncertainty andĀ concern over the future of the alliance, whose valueĀ TrumpĀ has longĀ called into question.
