Trump Promises Iran War Is ‘Nearing Completion’

President Trump said Wednesday that the U.S.-Israel war against Iran is "nearing completion" in a 19-minute White House address, though he simultaneously threatened to strike Iran's power plants "over the next two to three weeks" if negotiations fail. Trump claimed the U.S. has already killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and decimated the country's military and navy, while dismissing concerns about soaring gas prices as a "short-term" impact caused by Iranian attacks on oil tankers. The speech rattled markets rather than steadied them—Brent crude rose to $105 a barrel and stock futures fell afterward—as Trump urged other nations dependent on Middle East oil to either buy from the U.S. or "build up some delayed courage" and protect the Strait of Hormuz themselves. The contradictory messaging—declaring victory while threatening intensified strikes and saying the conflict could last weeks longer—underscores uncertainty about the conflict's actual trajectory and timeline.