Key points recap: Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Iran
On Wednesday night President Donald Trump delivered a 17-minute national address on Iran.
Here’s a recap of key points in case you missed it:
Trump announced that the U.S. military’s “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” though offered no further information on those objectives. The president appeared to slur his words on several occasions during the speech. He claimed the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” had “delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories like few people have ever seen before.” Trump repeated many of his same justifications for the month-old bombing campaign against Iran, including his claim there was an imminent threat of Tehran producing a nuclear weapon.He paid tribute to the 13 U.S. service members killed in the conflict and claimed their families had all told him to “finish the job.”Trump also once again blamed the rise in gas prices in the U.S. on the Iranian conflict and boasted the economy he had cultivated was strong enough to withstand it.Read more
Mike Bedigan2 April 2026 03:33
Zelensky says Ukraine is helping US to defend shipping lanes in Middle East
Volodymyr Zelensky told NewsNation on Thursday that Ukraine is currently sharing expertise with the US and Middle East countries on defending shipping lanes.
The Ukrainian president told Robert Sherman that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would require joint international action, not one country alone.
He added that Ukraine has “the biggest experience in the world” in electronic warfare and drone production, and said that the US and Ukraine “have to be partners after the war.”
James Reynolds2 April 2026 15:31
How Trump promised ‘no new wars’ before election
Donald Trump has said that the US is close to achieving its military objectives and will wind down the conflict with Iran in the next few weeks, more than a month into fighting that has killed 13 US soldiers and brought chaos back to the region.
The president has acknowledged that he does not call the ‘military operation’ a war, as a war would require congressional approval.
Trump repeatedly promised that there would be “no new wars” on his watch while campaigning in 2024. During his election night victory speech in November 2024, he said: “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.”
During his inaugural address, he said the US would measure its success “not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end – and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into”.
President Donald Trump speaks on 1 April
James Reynolds2 April 2026 15:30
Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ about Nato
Donald Trump said he ‘couldn’t care less’ about Nato, after suggesting to the Telegraph that he was seriously considering pulling the US out of the military alliance.
“I don’t have any frustrations,” he told Politico. “They were they weren’t there. I have no frustration. I couldn’t care less.
“I didn’t need them … But if I ever did need them, they wouldn’t be there. And we had a lot of money every year in NATO, so I learned a lot. So did the country, so did the United States, and NATO is — NATO is a paper tiger,” he said.
James Reynolds2 April 2026 15:23
Mapped: The countries restricting airspace access to the US
James Reynolds2 April 2026 15:00
Kremlin to ask US and Israel for ceasefire to evacuate staff
Russia will ask the United States and Israel to ensure a ceasefire while it evacuates more Russian staff from the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, the RIA news agency reported on Thursday.
The head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said that a “final wave of evacuation” involving about 200 people is tentatively scheduled for next week.
Russia built the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr and Rosatom staff are working there on construction of additional units.
The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Bushehr, Iran, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP)
James Reynolds2 April 2026 14:44
What happened at today’s planning meeting to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
British foreign minister Yvette Cooper held a virtual meeting with around 40 countries on Thursday to discuss options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting included reps from France, Germany, Canada, the UAE and India. The US was apparently absent from the group.
Cooper said that partners were focused on diplomatic planning (not military). “Economic tools and pressures” – likely sanctions – were also on the agenda, she said.
European diplomats said putting the coalition together was at an early stage, with Britain and France leading. Officials said the talks would focus on which countries were prepared to take part before military planners meet for talks next week.
France said the process would be multi-phased and could not start until hostilities had calmed or ended.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper (centre) hosts a virtual meeting at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Westminster (Leon Neal/PA) (PA Wire)
James Reynolds2 April 2026 14:30
Trump’s war with Iran could see fuel rationing and global recession within months, experts warn
A global recession and widespread fuel rationing are likely if the conflict in the Middle East does not end soon, a leading economic body has warned.
Oxford Economics forecast that a prolonged war could see an “unprecedented” shortage of around 12 per cent of consumption, leading to widespread rationing and supply chain disruption.
James Reynolds2 April 2026 14:05
G7 and Gulf countries to discuss Hormuz situation next week
France’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux says at a news conference that the Group of Seven countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council will hold a meeting next week to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US. The GCC consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
James Reynolds2 April 2026 14:00
Iranian highway ‘hit by air strike’
A highway bridge linking Iran’s capital Tehran to the western city of Karaj was hit by air strikes on Thursday, Fars news reported.
Early assessments suggest several people were injured. Other areas of Karaj were also struck, Fars reported.
The agency added that the B1 bridge is considered the Middle East’s highest bridge and was inaugurated earlier this year.
James Reynolds2 April 2026 13:51