What Trump said in his speech about objectives in Iran, a shifting list
What Trump said in his speech about objectives in Iran, a shifting list
Kinsey Crowley and James Powel, USA TODAYThu, April 2, 2026 at 3:33 PM UTC
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President Donald Trump addressed the nation about the war in Iran on April 1, about a month into the conflict.
Trump said that the U.S. military is "nearing completion" of its objectives, which has been a growing and evolving list since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
The speech came as domestic support for the war is low, and as Trump's personal approval rating has fallen for his second term. White House officials leading up to the event were already signaling they planned to withdraw from the fight soon. The conflict has killed thousands throughout the Middle East and 13 American soldiers.
Trump's primetime address to the nation did not reveal major updates about the war, but here is how it compares to previous comments:
Trump's war: A head for the exits in Iran leaves complications behind
1 / 0Latest photos capture US and Israeli strikes against Iran
Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.
What did Trump say last night?
In his address on April 1, Trump threatened that the United States would bring Iran "back to the Stone Ages where they belong."
Trump said that "we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly," but did not give a timeframe on when the war would end, only that "we're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks." He said that the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is "being decimated as we speak" and that "their missiles are just about used up or beaten."
The president promised that gas prices, a pain point for Americans during the war, would go down once the United States withdrew from the war and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen "automatically." The average price of a gallon of regular gas is over $4 per gallon as of April 2, according to AAA. He also called on countries that are reliant on oil that passes through the waterway to "grab it" and "take the lead in protecting the oil."
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Read the full transcript of Trump's speech on USA TODAY.
See Trump administration's previous comments on why we bombed Iran
Trump and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt laid out four objectives in early March: 1) destroy Iran's ballistic missiles; 2) take out its navy; 3) stop its "terrorist proxies" from destabilizing the region; and 4) ensure Iran never has nuclear weapons.
But throughout the ongoing conflict, that list has grown and shifted. Here is what some of Trump and his administration said throughout the first week:
Feb. 28, video update: "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," Trump said. He also said Iran tried to rebuild after the strikes last summer. "For these reasons, the United States military has undertaken a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We're going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated ... we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It's a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon." Trump also called on the people of Iran to take over their government when the U.S. finishes.
March 1, video update: "An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American. We cannot allow a nation that raises terrorist armies to possess such weapons, that would allow them to extort the world to their evil will," Trump said.
March 2, remarks at a Medal of Honor ceremony, where Trump listed out the four goals as echoed by Leavitt later in the week: "An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people. Our country itself would be under threat and it was very nearly under threat," Trump said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on March 2: "This is not a so-called regime-change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on March 2 that it was Israel that was planning to attack Iran first. "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them, before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio said. "And then we would all be here answering questions about why we knew that and didn't act."
On March 3, Trump countered Rubio's narrative, saying the U.S. thought Iran was going to strike first: "They were going to attack if we didn't do it, they were going to attack first ... So, if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand, but Israel was ready and we were ready. (Rubio, pressed on it, said, "The bottom line is this: The president determined we were not going to get hit first. It’s that simple, guys,” according to Reuters.)
On March 4, Leavitt spoke at a press briefing, echoing the four objectives Trump gave on March 2: "Iran rejected the path of peace because the terrorist in charge of this regime wanted to build nuclear weapons to use against Americans and our allies. President Trump made the determination, a courageous determination and decision, that the path the United States was on with Iran had only one outcome: massive death and destruction at the hands of a nuclear-armed terroristic regime. That path of death and destruction and threats against the American people have ended with Operation Epic Fury."
On March 4, Rubio also laid out a list of four goals, though slightly different than Trump and Leavitt's list.
On March 6, Trump posted this on Truth Social: "There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER! After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before."
Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon and says it was attacked unprovoked, according to Reuters. National security analysts and experts previously told USA TODAY that Iran's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capabilities are wrong or great
The list of four objectives also grew to five and changed slightly by March 20, according to Trump's Truth Social post, which laid them out as:
"Completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability, Launchers, and everything else pertaining to them.
"Destroying Iran’s Defense Industrial Base
"Eliminating their Navy and Air Force, including Anti Aircraft Weaponry
"Never allowing Iran to get even close to Nuclear Capability, and always being in a position where the U.S.A. can quickly and powerfully react to such a situation, should it take place
"Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others."
During his April 1 address, Trump referred back to his announcement of Operation Epic Fury, calling the objectives "simple and clear."
"We are systematically dismantling the regime's ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders," Trump said. "That means eliminating Iran's Navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their Air Force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base. We've done all of it."
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, Zachary Schermele, Michael Collins, Michael Loria, Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What did Trump say last night? See comments on objectives in Iran
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