President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday (April 1, 2026), in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP
U.S. President Donald Trump, on Thursday (April 2, 2026), addressed the nation on the Iran-Israel war, the U.S. strikes on Tehran, and the fluctuating global oil prices.
The address included references to Iran’s plans to build a nuclear bomb and came amid a global turmoil in oil prices and supply chains.
Here are some of the key quotes from Mr. Trump’s speech:
On military operations against Iran: “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two or three weeks. We will bring them back to the Stone Age.”
On increasing oil prices and Strait of Hormuz: “This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the deranged Iranian regime”
“We are the number one producer of oil and gas on the planet. We produce more than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.”
“U.S. imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait. We haven’t needed it, and we don’t need it.”
“Buy oil from the United States of America. We have so much.”
“The countries of the world that do receive oil through the pass, they must protect the strait.”
“Build up some delayed courage. Go to the Strait and just take it. Use it for yourself.”
On the US economy: “We built the strongest economy in history. In one year, we have taken a dead and crippled country and made it the hottest country in the world.”
Also Read | Leaders killed, U.S. strikes and Iranian response: a month of Iran-U.S. war
On regime change in Iran: “Regime change has occurred because of all of their leaders’ death. Yet if there is no deal, we are going to hit each of their electric generating plants. We are unstoppable as a military force.”
“We have all the cards, they have none.”
Iran-Israel and U.S. conflict: Context
President Trump had said on March 31, 2026, that the U.S. forces would end operations in Iran “very soon,” evoking a timeline of two or three weeks as his administration pursues talks with Iranian authorities while continuing its aerial campaign.
Asked during a White House event about the impact of high fuel prices since the start of the war on February 28, Mr. Trump said that “All I have to do is leave Iran, and we’ll be doing that very soon, and they’ll tumble down.”
On February 28, 2026, in a joint operation, Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran’s Tehran, calling it a ‘pre-emptive action’. Code-named Operation Roaring Lion or Operation Epic Fury, several key Iranian cities, including Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan, were attacked.
The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as over 200 civilians.
Iran has practically closed the Strait of Hormuz in response, leading to soaring oil prices that affect global supply chains.
Published – April 02, 2026 07:51 am IST
