Washington: US President Donald Trump will address the nation on Wednesday night (Thursday morning, India time) with an update on the ongoing conflict with Iran, the White House said, as fighting involving the US and Israel enters its second month.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the address, saying: “Tune In: Tomorrow night at 9 PM ET, President Trump will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran.” This would be his first address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House after the Iran war started on February 28.
The address to the nation comes amid intensifying military activity and mounting questions over Washington’s next steps. The Trump Administration is signalling two fold approach which encompasses both military resolve and a potential diplomatic opening.
The US-Israeli campaign against Iran has stretched into its second month, with recent polling showing growing public unease over the trajectory of the conflict and the risk of deeper American involvement.
Trump has repeatedly framed the US position as one aimed at neutralising Iran’s nuclear capabilities while avoiding a prolonged ground war. He has emphasised that the objective is to “end the threat” posed by Iran’s enriched uranium programme, according to officials familiar with internal discussions.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, told reporters a day earlier that the Pentagon is prepared for “decisive options” while maintaining that force posture adjustments are intended to deter escalation rather than expand the conflict footprint.
According to reports, Trump has been considering deploying American troops inside Iran to secure the country’s highly enriched uranium. The operation could last several days and would likely involve elite special operations forces tasked with extracting radioactive material.
Such a mission would place US personnel deep inside Iranian territory, exposing them to threats from Iranian short-range missiles and drones, officials and analysts say.
Military action has already escalated in recent days. On Tuesday, the US struck an Iranian city housing one of the country’s main nuclear facilities.
The Isfahan Nuclear Energy Center, one of Iran’s key sites, was previously targetted last June by US B-2 bombers and a submarine. Analysts believe much of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely stored at that location, making it central to Washington’s strategic calculus.
Tehran, meanwhile, signalled a complex diplomatic posture. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said there had been no direct negotiations with the Trump administration since the conflict began.
“We have had no negotiations with America in these thirty-one days,” Baqaei said. “What has occurred is the submission of a negotiation request, accompanied by a set of proposals from America, which has reached us through certain intermediaries, including Pakistan.”
(IANS)
