Washington DC, 02 April (H.S.):

President Donald Trump captivated millions in a primetime White House address, portraying Operation Epic Fury,now in its fifth week,as a resounding American victory that has annihilated Iran's navy, decimated its air force, and eliminated most senior leaders, while slashing missile and drone capabilities. Tonight Iran's navy is gone, their air force is in ruins, their leaders, most of them… are now dead, he declared, one month after the February 28 launch.

Framing the campaign as vital for global security, Trump listed 47 years of Iranian proxy terrorism and a brutal protest crackdown killing thousands, vowing, Leaders like this cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon... I will never let that happen.

Trump commenced with effusive praise for NASA's Artemis II crew, hailing their brave lunar orbit mission launched April 1, before lauding U.S. forces for the January 2026 Venezuelan intervention that swiftly captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife. It was praised all over the world, he noted, recasting the ousted regime as yielding venture partners and weaning allies off Middle Eastern oil. He reflected on his first-term 2020 strike killing Qasem Soleimani, the father of the roadside bomb, adding wryly, If Soleimani was still alive, we would have had probably a different conversation tonight but you know what we would still be winning and winning big.

Nuclear Peril Neutralized, Allies Commended

Trump excoriated the Obama-era nuclear accord as a catastrophic misstep, proudly recounting his 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer—Nobody's ever seen anything like it—that totally obliterated sites where Iran stood right at the doorstep of a bomb, amid rapid long-range missile advances.

He extended heartfelt thanks to Israel and Gulf allies: They've been great, and we will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form, emphasizing Iran's assaults on them as proof of its nuclear peril.

Standoff Persists Amid Domestic Strain and NATO Rift

Iran's Foreign Ministry branded Trump's claim of a ceasefire plea from its new regime presidentpresumed reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, elected 2024 and interim post-Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's February assassination,as false and baseless.

Pezeshkian decried the war as occupation in a letter to Americans, yet hinted at talks via European channels. Trump tied de-escalation to a clear Strait of Hormuz, pledging to blast Iran back to the Stone Ages otherwise, while forecasting U.S. exit in two weeks, maybe three.

Polls evince wariness: 63% disapprove Trump's plan, 66% seek swift end per surveys, with petrol topping $4 a gallon stoking midterm fears, though 57% of Republicans favor persistence. Trump assailed NATO as unreliable, eyeing withdrawal despite 2024 congressional barriers; envoy Matthew Whitaker called it a one-way street, as chief Mark Rutte plans talks. Over 5,000 dead regionally—Iran hardest hit at 3,519 (1,598 civilians)—amid 12,300+ U.S. strikes, as markets eased with Brent crude at $101.16 per barrel.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar