President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night about a war he says is nearly won — and a mission he has yet to fully define.

Speaking from the White House in his first prime-time speech since the war began more than a month ago, Trump offered what the White House billed as an “update” on Operation Epic Fury, which he said is meeting or exceeding all of its benchmarks.

“Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks,” the president said.

He touted the destruction of Iran’s navy, air force and the “terrorist regime” that once led the country. And he characterized the prospect that Iran might obtain a nuclear weapon as an “intolerable threat” that he vowed would “never” be realized during his presidency.

As a result of Operation Epic Fury, Iran’s “ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed, and their weapons, factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces,” Trump said.

Even as he assured Americans that the U.S. was “nearing completion” of its goals in Iran, he suggested a military escalation was coming.

“We’re going to hit them extremely hard,” Trump said. “Over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong.”

The speech comes against a backdrop of spiking oil prices, dismal poll numbers, and a central question that has dogged the administration since the first bombs dropped: What, exactly, is the United States trying to accomplish?

The answer has shifted repeatedly — and often depending on who in the administration is speaking.

On Wednesday night, the president adapted his rhetoric to ditch the political goals in favor of the more targeted language that’s been consistently used by his military leaders. Trump framed the war’s success around three goals: Eliminating the country’s navy, “hurting” their air force and missile program, and “annihilating their defense industrial base.”

“We’ve done all of it,” he declared. 

The president called those objectives “simple and clear.” But those goals are merely the latest in what has been a shifting set of objectives articulated by administration officials. 

On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio articulated four goals of the war: Destroying Iran’s air force and navy, destroying the factories in its defense sector and “severely diminishing” its capability to launch missiles. Earlier last month, Rubio set out a slightly different set of goals, avoiding any mention of Iran’s air force, and stating that the U.S. aimed to “destroy” Iran’s ability to launch missiles, rather than severely diminish them. 

Trump has at various points described the war’s purpose as including regime change, seizing Iranian oil, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and eradicating Iran’s nuclear program. On Tuesday, he declared he had “one goal: They will have no nuclear weapon. And that goal has been attained.” 

The reality of how the war is playing to the American public is also more complicated than the president would like the public to believe.

Poll after poll shows a majority of Americans oppose the U.S. military action in Iran. An AP-NORC poll released on March 25 found that nearly 60% of American adults believe U.S. involvement in Iran had gone too far. An Ipsos poll conducted March 27-29 found that 66% of adults believed the U.S. should end its involvement quickly, even if it does not achieve all its goals.

MAGA Republicans are far more likely to support the war than those who identify as non-MAGA Republicans, according to an Economist/YouGov poll of 1,679 adults conducted between March 27 to 30. But as MS NOW previously reported, even some White House officials have expressed frustration with the administration’s inconsistent rationale for waging the war.

The price of oil has shot up as Iran has locked down the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes. On Tuesday, the national average for gas hit $4 a gallon, according to AAA — the highest level since 2022. Military and shipping experts have told MS NOW that reopening the Strait would likely require U.S. ground troops for what could be a years-long, costly, and dangerous operation. According to the AP-NORC poll, 66% of respondents believe gas prices will continue to worsen over the year ahead due to the conflict.

At least 13 American service members have been killed in action related to the war, according to the Department of Defense, and 348 have been seriously wounded, U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told MS NOW. Nearly all of the wounded soldiers — 315 — have returned to duty, and six remain seriously wounded, Hawkins said.

The Ipsos poll found that 86% of respondents report being very or somewhat concerned about the risks facing American military personnel.

Akayla Gardner, Jake Traylor and Julia Jester contributed reporting.

The post Trump declared the Iran war nearly over. Then he promised to escalate it. appeared first on MS NOW.