How are global media responding to Trump's statements?
[Bloomberg: Trump Says War with Iran Is About to End]
In a roughly 20-minute speech delivered at the White House, Trump stated, “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that these key strategic objectives are nearing completion. We will finish this task—and do so very quickly. We are already very close to our goal.”
This statement comes as Trump attempts to find a way out of a conflict that is rapidly spiraling out of control.
Yet, rather than calming markets or reassuring investors that the war might end swiftly, parts of his remarks seem to have triggered investor anxiety.
[Reuters: Hopes for a Swift End to the Iran War Are Fading]
Speaking during prime time in the evening, Trump declared, “Tonight, I can announce that we are on track and will complete all U.S. military missions in the near future—very soon. In the next two or three weeks, we will launch an extremely fierce strike against them, sending them back to the Stone Age—the place they truly belong.”
Brent crude oil prices surged nearly 6%, reaching $107.69 per barrel, as Trump’s remarks offered no assurance regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy chokepoint.
[CNN: Trump Fails to Allay Concerns Over the Outcome of the Iran War]
“In a 20-minute address in the White House Cross Hall, Trump provided the most coherent and restrained explanation yet for going to war, stating he could not allow Iran’s ‘terrorists’ to possess nuclear weapons after having threatened the United States for 47 years.”
Trump referenced failed diplomacy and the Iranian regime’s brutal repression of its own people, playing his main political card—demonstrating military strength.
[The Washington Post: A Plan to Seize Iran’s Nuclear Materials Has Been Drafted for Trump]
Limiting Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons remains one of the administration’s primary objectives. However, experts believe this plan would be an extraordinarily complex undertaking, unprecedented in military history. Executing it would require airlifting hundreds to thousands of troops and heavy equipment deep into Iran to seize and extract radioactive materials.
According to assessments by former U.S. Defense Department officials, this operation could take several weeks and would occur under fire deep within Iranian territory.
[Financial Times: Persian Gulf Nations Plan New Pipelines Bypassing the Strait of Hormuz]
The threat of Iran permanently controlling the Strait of Hormuz is prompting Persian Gulf nations to reevaluate costly pipeline projects designed to bypass this vital maritime chokepoint.
The current conflict underscores the strategic importance of Saudi Arabia’s 1,200-kilometer “East-West Oil Pipeline,” built in the 1980s amid fears that the Iran-Iraq “tanker war” could lead to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Today, it serves as a crucial transport artery, shipping 7 million barrels of oil daily from eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu Port on the Red Sea coast, thereby avoiding the Strait of Hormuz.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1861369322206284/
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