LIVE: Iran threatens US with ‘crushing’ attacks

The US President vowed to bring Iran back to the ‘Stone Ages’ in a televised speech on Wednesday.

The US President said his military had nearly accomplished its goals in Iran, but offered no clear timeline for the conflict coming to an end.

Despite facing pressure from allies amid sliding approval ratings, Trump declined to lay out a concrete plan to wind down the war, which is now in its fifth week.

He insisted the US would finish the job ‘very fast’ and that they had ‘all the cards’ in his first primetime address since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.

He glossed over some major unresolved issues such as the status of Iran’s enriched uranium and access through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global oil supplies, which Iran has effectively closed.

Trump said the strait would open ‘naturally’ once the war ended’, breaking little ground to offer reassurance to the US allies as well as the American public.

The president and his advisers have offered shifting explanations and timelines for the conflict, as well as what they will require from Iran for it to end.

While portraying Iran as militarily neutered, Trump also said on Wednesday night the US would hit the nation hard for another two or three weeks.

If the country’s new leaders did not negotiate satisfactorily, he said, his country. would begin attacking the nation’s electricity generation and oil infrastructure.

We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump said. ‘

We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.”

In the meantime, discussions are ongoing.

Yet if during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets.”

A day before, Trump told reporters Tehran did not have to make a deal as a condition for the conflict to wind down.

Footage has emerged online appearing to show an Iranian missile striking a US base in Jordan.

The United Arab Emirates intercepted incoming missiles and drone attacks just before Donald Trump addressed the US.

The country’s ministry warned citizens about sounds heard across the country while confirming the attacks were from Iran.

It said it was working to intercept the attacks from Iran.

During his primetime address, Trump thanked the UAE as well as other allies in the Gulf who have faced retaliatory attacks from Iran.

The Israeli Defence Forces(IDF) said it identified strikes launched towards Israel from Tehran in the early hours of this morning.

Their update came only 15 minutes after the US President ended his 19-minute address to his nation.

During his speech, he vowed to bring Iran ‘back to the Stone Ages’ and said the US would hit Tehran hard for another two or three weeks.

Several oil tankers are stationary on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz this morning as Tehran continues to block the strategic passage.

Data from Vesselfinder indicates dozens of vessels remain off the coast of Oman and the UAE.

Around 25 per cent of global oil trade travels through the strait, making it vulnerable to threats from Tehran.

Trump has vowed to launch attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure if the passage is not reopened.

The US President vowed to bring Tehran ‘back to the Stone Ages’ in his first primetime address to his nation since launching the war against Iran alongside Israel on February 28.

Oil prices have risen to $106 per barrel after the US President addressed in his first primetime speech since launching the war on Iran.

The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil was $99 before he spoke to the nation yesterday.

Trump blamed the spike on the ‘Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighbouring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict.

He did briefly acknowledge concerns among US citizens about the war causing soaring fuel prices.

However, Trump insisted these rising prices would soon go down while also adding that countries that get most of their oil from the Gulf region should lead the way in opening the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively blocked by Iran.

Britain, France and other U.S. allies have said they are willing to help to keep the strait open, but only after hostilities have ceased.

‘They can do it easily,’ Trump said. ‘We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.’

Trump was also frustrated that NATO allies had not offered to help open the strait, even threatening to withdraw from the 76-year-old alliance.

While he had told Reuters earlier in the day that he would discuss the US relationship with NATO in his speech, he did not mention the bloc.

The US embassy in Iraq has warned its citizens to ‘leave immediately’ as ‘Iraqi terrorist militias’ linked with Iran may be planning attacks on the capital within the next day or two.

US citizens have been advised not to travel to or from the country and to flee immediately if they are currently there.

The US Embassy in Baghdad said:

Iran-aligned Iraqi terrorist militias may intend to carry out attacks in central Baghdad within the next 24 to 48 hours.

Iran and its aligned terrorist militias have carried out widespread attacks against U.S. citizens and U.S.-associated targets throughout Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

These actors may target U.S. citizens, companies, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other sites believed to be associated with the United States, in addition to Iraqi institutions and civilian targets. Terrorist militias have targeted Americans for kidnapping, and U.S. citizens should leave Iraq immediately.”

Iran’s military has insisted that the conflict in the Middle East will continue until the ‘enemy’s surrender and permanent regret’.

It comes after Donald Trump maintained his armed forces could bring the war to an end in just a matter of weeks.

Iran’s military spokesperson warned of further strikes as well as ‘more crushing wider, and destructive actions’ against the US and Israel, according to Tasnim News Agency, which is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

By Nikki Schwab

President Donald Trump claimed near victory in the Iran war during a low-energy address to the nation Wednesday night in the White House’s Cross Hall.

The President spoke for under 20 minutes and didn’t announce any major developments – including whether ground troops would need to be deployed or who would take over leadership of the country.

Instead, he repeated that Operation Epic Fury would conclude ‘shortly,’ noting that the US’s military objectives were ‘nearing completion.’

He also didn’t say what would signal an end to the conflict – just that the fighting would be more intense before it ended.

‘We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two or three weeks, we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong,’ Trump warned.

He challenged US allies to go and ‘take’ the Strait of Hormuz, proclaiming that the US didn’t need the oil from the ships that had been blocked by Iran since the conflict began in late February.

‘I have a suggestion. No. 1, buy oil from the United States of America, we have plenty, we have so much,’ Trump said.

‘And No. 2, build up some delayed coverage – should have done it before, should have done it with us as we asked – go to the Strait and just take it. Protect it. Use it for yourselves,’ he continued.