US President Donald Trump is expected to provide an estimated timeline of concluding operations within two to three weeks which aligns with numerous recent comments where the president has indicated interest in concluding US military involvement.

Ahead of his address on Wednesday, Trump also made claims that Iran’s president wanted a ceasefire making the comments on his Truth Social website. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry later dismissed Trump’s remarks as “false and baseless”.

Read moreMiddle East war live: Trump’s claim Iran asked for ceasefire ‘false’, state TV reports

Details regarding Trump’s upcoming speech were released by a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak ahead of the address.

The official said Trump would reiterate his administration’s goals which are to destroy Iran’s missile production, destroy its Navy, ensure its proxies can no longer destabilise the region and guarantee Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a message to the American people saying both confrontation and engagement between Iran and the US are accessible, adding that Iran will endure any aggression by the United States.

Pezeshkian did not mention a ceasefire offer last week by Trump, though he accused Israel of dragging the US into a war against Iran.

“Is it not also the case that America has entered this aggression as a proxy for Israel, influenced and manipulated by that regime? ” asked Pezeshkian.

Read moreNATO ‘doesn’t really exist anymore other than on paper’, experts say

Trump is expected to use his address to heap criticism on NATO members for not joining the US in its war with Iran. He has already intimated he could pull the US out of the historic security alliance.

He earlier directed frustration towards NATO allies for their failure to come to the aid of the US to open the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. 

Iran’s effective closure of the strait has disrupted the supply of oil and sent prices skyrocketing.

In response to elevated gas prices, Trump replied on Tuesday that, “All I have to do is leave Iran, and we’ll be doing that very soon, and they’ll come tumbling down.”

(FRANCE 24 with AP)