US-Iran war updates: Donald Trump threatens to send Iran ‘back to Stone Ages’ in wide-ranging address

From bombing Iran back to the ‘stone ages’, to telling allies it was up to them to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, to blaming Iran entirely for the rise in fuel prices, Donald Trump made some pretty big claims during his address to the nation.

Here are the five biggest takeaways.

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The Prime Minister has cautiously backed Donald Trump’s declaration that the war in the Middle East is “nearing completion” and repeated his own calls for a de-escalation of the conflict with Iran.

Appearing at the National Press Club just minutes after the US President delivered his own address from the White House, Mr Albanese has also been quizzed about criticism of Western nations such as Australia for not helping open the Strait of Hormuz.

“It’s a bit hard to comment on President Trump’s statement, which was, I think, done in part while I was sitting up here. But my position, I’ve made very clear, which is, we do want to see a de-escalation,” Mr Albanese said.

“As I said in my speech, the objectives that President Trump outlined at the time of him launching the action against Iran have largely been achieved, and we want to see a de-escalation.”

When pressed on whether it was a welcome sign that President Trump was claiming the US war was “nearing completion”, the Prime Minister said the assessment was “totally consistent with what we are seeing”.

It may have sounded like US President Donald Trump just used 20 minutes to talk about how good his administration was, however, there were a few key points that will dictate the next few weeks of war with Iran and the flow-on effect.

Two to three weeks

Mr Trump says that the US will continue to hit Iran very hard for “two to three weeks”, adding he is negotiating with a “new regime” during the time.

If a deal is not made, Mr Trump says the US will hit all energy production plants at the same time to ensure Iran has nothing, adding the US would take them back to the “Stone Ages, where they belong”.

Oil and the Strait of Hormuz

Mr Trump told countries that need oil from the Middle East to either buy oil from the US or go in and protect the Strait of Hormuz themselves.

He said, calling out the recent acquisition of Venezuela, that the US did not need oil from the Strait, and would never take oil from Iran.

Nuclear weapons

Justifying Operation Epic Fury, Mr Trump said Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons as they would use them to bring terror and destruction on the world.

He said the regime had been developing new weapons, both missiles and nuclear, that would have been able to hit targets anywhere in the world, including the US homeland.

The inclusion of the justification could likely play a part in when Mr Trump feels ready to pull US military forces out of Iran.

US President Donald Trump says he will allow a few more weeks of negotiations with the “new regime”, a group of unknown people who are “less radical” than the old regime.

“If, during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets.

“If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.

“We have not hit their oil, even though that’s the easiest target, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding.

But we could hit it, and it would be gone, and there’s not a thing they could do about it.

“We are unstoppable as a military source.”

US President Donald Trump says the US military will hit Iran harder than ever over the next three weeks to take Iran back to the stone ages.

“We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” he said.

“We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.

“We are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.

“We have all the cards. They have none.”

US President Donald Trump has told countries that did not engage in the “decapitation of Iran” and that cannot get their hands on oil due to the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz to buy oil from the US.

“Buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty.

He also told those countries to build up some “delayed courage” and go to the Strait of Hormuz themselves and protect it.

US President Donald Trump says the US will “finish the job” in Iran.

“Our objectives are nearing completion,” Mr Trump said.

Speaking of members of the US armed forces that have lost their lives in Iran, Mr Trump paid tribute, committed to unleashing the force of his military on Iran to remove any nuclear threat.

“Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons,” MR Trump said.

“They will use them.”

US President Donald Trump says Iran’s nuclear threat must be stopped as the regime should not be able to attack the world behind a nuclear shield.

Mr Trump again said that what he is doing should have been completed 47 years ago by previous US presidents.

“My first preference was always the path of diplomacy,” Mr Trump said.

He said the regime did not want diplomacy, so he had no option other than to order the commencement of Operation Midnight Hammer, then Operation Epic Fury.

“They would soon have had missiles that could reach the American homeland and anywhere in the world.”

He said the regime would have had nuclear weapons like no one would have believed.

US President Donald Trump says that Operation Epic Fury is needed for the safety of America and the free world.

“It has just been one month since the US Military started Operation Epic Fury,” he said from the White House.

“Tonight, Iran’s navy is gone, their air force is in ruins, their leaders, most of them are now dead.

“Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks.”