By Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland and Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will address the nation in a televised speech at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT) on Wednesday as his administration signals it is moving toward a possible exit from the month-long war with Iran.
Trump, facing a war-wary American public and sliding approval ratings, is expected to say the U.S. military has accomplished its wartime goals, according to a White House official. He will also reiterate his plan to wind down the conflict within two to three weeks, the official said.
Trump and his advisers have offered shifting explanations and timelines for the conflict, now in its fifth week. Should he convince voters that the war is time-limited and near its end, it may help to assuage growing concerns among Americans, most of whom oppose the conflict and many of whom are upset at rising gasoline prices due to disruptions in the global oil supply.
Trump is expected to say the U.S. has destroyed Iran’s navy and its ballistic missiles and missile production facilities, while guaranteeing that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon, the White House official said.
Speaking to Reuters in an interview earlier in the day, Trump said he would also express his disgust with NATO for what he considers the alliance’s lack of support for U.S. objectives in Iran.
A transatlantic rift during Trump’s second term has deepened after European allies rebuffed his request to help maintain safe passage for oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. He said he was “absolutely” considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO, a treaty organization ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1949.
Trump added that, while the U.S. would be out of Iran “pretty quickly,” the military could return for “spot hits” as needed.
TO ESCALATE, OR DE-ESCALATE?
Public polling shows that the war is broadly unpopular, particularly with independent voters, and Trump’s allies have called for the administration to present a clearer and more consistent rationale for the conflict to voters.
In a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted Friday through Sunday, 60% of voters said they disapproved of the war, while 35% approved. Some 66% of respondents said the U.S. should work to end its involvement in the war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the administration.
Trump, meanwhile, has flirted with options both to escalate and de-escalate the conflict and his next moves are unclear, even to some close advisers.
Administration officials have floated a daring operation to physically seize Iran’s remaining stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, as well as ground operations to seize strategic pieces of land – including parts of Iran’s coastline and Kharg Island, through which Iran exports the vast majority of its oil.
Thousands of additional troops continue to sail toward the Gulf region, indicating the president wants to keep his military options open.
At the same time, Trump has suggested he may walk away from the conflict, even if Iran declines to re-open the Strait of Hormuz.
There are indications he is keen to turn his attention elsewhere.
On Wednesday morning, Trump visited the U.S. Supreme Court to attend arguments over the legality of a policy he considers crucial to his hardline approach on immigration: a directive he signed last year that would limit birthright citizenship. It was the first time ever that a sitting president had attended oral arguments.
Back at the White House for an Easter lunch, Trump said in reference to the war against Iran that the administration was “pretty much winding that up.”
“Have to take a few more hits,” he said.
One White House official said Vice President JD Vance had communicated with intermediaries from Pakistan about the Iran conflict as recently as Tuesday, amid nascent efforts to seek a negotiated settlement. Trump has said those talks are going well, while Tehran has said there are no direct discussions going on at all.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland and Gram Slattery; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Edmund Klamann)
Comments