US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (April 1) that Washington will strike Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks and hit the country into the "Stone Ages."
In a televised speech, Trump said the U.S. military had nearly completed the goals it had set out to accomplish in its war with Iran and that the conflict would soon be ending.
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Trump, facing a war-wary American public and sliding approval ratings, said the U.S. had destroyed Iran's navy and air force, and crippled its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
He added that the U.S. would continue to hit targets in the Islamic Republic over the next two to three weeks.
Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since February 28, when the U.S. and Israel struck Iran, triggering Iranian attacks on Israel, U.S. bases and the Gulf states, while opening a new front in Lebanon.
The conflict, which prompted Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz - a key waterway carrying about a fifth of global oil supplies - has rattled financial markets and weighed on Trump's sagging approval ratings months ahead of pivotal midterm congressional elections.
