Iran-US war latest: Trump rationalizes Epic Fury in slur-filled, rehash-heavy address to a nation weary of his lack of ‘plan’ – UK Times

Donald Trump has announced that the end of U.S. military operations in Iran was “very close,” claiming that the families of dead service members had told him to “finish the job.”

“Tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” he said.

“As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran.

“We salute them, and now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives. And every single one of the people, their loved one said, ‘please, sir, please finish the job, every one of them.

“And we are going to finish the job. And we’re going to finish it very fast. We’re getting very close.”

In his address to the nation Wednesday night Donald Trump declared that America was now “winning bigger than ever.”

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

“Our enemies are losing in America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning and now winning bigger than ever before.”

The president continued to boast of his achievements, while blasting his predecessors.

“They made mistakes, and I am correcting them,” he said.

Donald Trump appeared to slur some of his words as he began his remarks to the nation.

Donald Trump kicked off his address by declaring the U.S. had won victories in Iran “like few people have ever seen before.”

“In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories like few people have ever seen before,” the president said in his remarks broadcast from the White House.

“Tonight, Iran’s Navy is gone. Their Air Force is in ruins. Their leaders, most of them terrorist regime they led, are now dead.”

The Pentagon may have violated its own rules of war by moving troops from U.S. bases, targeted by Iran, to hotels and other civilian locations in the Middle East region, the New York Times reported.

Ariana Baio has the full story:

Steve Bannon has said that Donald Trump will be using his 9 p.m. address to the nation to “declare victory” in Iran.

Bannon, the president’s former White House chief strategist, said that Trump will announce what he plans to do while U.S. forces remain in Iran as well as “dumping on the NATO allies,” Politico reported.

“Two, three weeks, definable objectives. ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’ — and we are hanging around a couple of weeks to conquer some more — maybe even then a ceasefire, while reiterating that the Hormuz situation is the Gulf Emirates’ and the Europeans’ to solve, and declare victory,” Bannon said.

More than a month into the U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran that has upended the global economy and sent fuel prices soaring, a new poll from CNN and SSRS finds just one third of Americans approve of the ongoing military action.

The 34 percent of respondents who said they approved at least somewhat of President Donald Trump’s war represents a seven-point decline from a similar poll taken just after the start of the bombing campaign on February 28.

The results of the poll come as the president prepares to give a speech at 9 p.m. Wednesday, announcing the winding down of the war, and boast of his achievements.

In the meantime, here’s the full story from Andrew Feinberg:

Donald Trump is expected to use his primetime address to the nation to announce that the war in Iran, which has now lasted over a month, is winding down.

Sources told Politico that the speech, airing at 9 p.m. ET, will claim that all of America’s military objectives have been met, despite White House officials consistently being cagey over specifics.

Trump also intends to double down on his criticism of NATO allies and blame them for the ongoing issues in the Strait of Hormuz – which is still marred by shipping restrictions imposed by Iran.