Hopes dim for swift end to Iran war after Trump speech, oil prices surge anew - reuters.com

Trump: U.S. will bomb Iran "back to stone ages" over next 2-3 weeks

<p>President Trump said in a prime time address that the U.S. was close to ending its war in <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iran</a> but would spend the next two to three weeks bombing the country "back to the stone ages."</p><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> Trump said that if a deal to end the war cannot be reached, the U.S. would bomb all of Iran's power plants and its <a href="https://www.axios.com/energy-climate/oil-companies" target="_blank">oil </a>fields, moves that would have devastating consequences for Iran's civilian population and the future of the country, while likely inciting retaliation on America's allies in the region.</p><hr><ul><li>The threat is likely in part an attempt to convince Iran's leaders to agree to a deal. </li><li>The U.S. has told <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iran</a>, through mediators, that it is interested in a ceasefire in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.</li><li>But...