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Middle East crisis live: Trump says US close to ‘finishing the job’ in Iran during prime-time address | US-Israel war on Iran
Trump once again sets out a timeline of ‘two to three weeks’, as he defends his decision to go to war
Donald Trump used his first address to the nation since the start of the war in Iran to justify the costs that it is imposing on America and the world, while continuing to claims that he is close to winding up the conflict,
Trump said on Wednesday evening that Iran had been decimated and that the hard part of the war was done. He however added that the US would hit Iran “extremely hard” for the next two to three weeks.
Tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion … In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield – victories like few people have ever seen before.”
Key events
Trump says US close to ‘finishing the job’ in Iran
Trump has said that America’s core strategic objectives are nearing completion and he is close to “finishing the job” in Iran. He has once again set out a timeline of “two to three weeks”.
He has followed this statement by once again criticising US allies for failing to take part in the operation against Iran – and told them that they must take responsibility for reopening the strait of Hormuz.
Trump has said over the last few days that the US does not rely on the strait for its oil, so therefore will not take responsibility for reopening the vital waterway.
On Tuesday he told reporters that the responsibility for keeping the strait of Hormuz open will rest with countries that rely on it. “That’s not for us … That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait.”
Trump has claimed that Iran was “right at the doorstep” of gaining a nuclear weapon.
Earlier on Wednesday the president said he did not care about Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium (HEU), arguing it was deep underground and could be monitored by satellite.
Experts said that if the US-Israeli offensive against Iran concluded with the Tehran government still in control of its 440kg HEU stockpile, it would be significantly closer to the capability of making nuclear warheads than if the US had pursued a potential negotiated settlement that was on the table at the time the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February.
Trump makes the case for the Iran war
The president has begun to make the case for why the war in Iran is necessary.
From the very beginning my campaign for president in 2015, I said I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This regime has been chanting death to America, death to Israel.
Trump is going through a timeline of his approach to Iran over his first and second term. He is spending some time talking about his withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal that the Obama administration agreed with Tehran to limit Iran’s enrichment of uranium.
Trump has begun by praising the victories that the US has achieved in Iran.
Iran’s navy is gone. Their Air Force is in ruins … Very few are left.”
He goes on to praise the operation to remove Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela in January.
We are working along Venezuela .. true partners and we are getting along incredibly well.”
Trump begins address to the nation
Donald Trump is speaking now, we’ll bring you updates as they come in.
As Donald Trump prepares to address the nation, many are asking why he is making this speech now, more than one month into the conflict. One reason might be the amount of recent polling which shows support for the Iran war, and for his administration, falling.
A new CNN poll released in the last few hours shows that just one-third of Americans believe Trump has a “clear plan to handle the situation in Iran”.
The polling also shows that just 34% of Americans approve at least somewhat of the Trump’s decision to launch the war, down 7 points from another CNN poll conducted soon after the start of operations.
More than 5,000 people have been killed across the Middle East since the war in Iran began, according to death tolls from various groups compiled by the Reuters news agency.
The casualty numbers are concentrated in Iran and Lebanon, but also include countries throughout the gulf, Israel, Syria, Iraq and the West Bank.
In Iran, US-based rights group HRANA said 3,519 people have been killed since the war erupted. It said 1,598 of those were civilians, including at least 244 children. The group says its data comes from field reports, local contacts, medical and emergency sources, civil society networks, open-source materials and official statements.
Lebanese authorities say 1,318 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since 2 March, including at least 124 children. More than 400 fighters from Hezbollah have been killed since the Lebanese armed group launched attacks in a new war with Israel, two sources familiar with the group’s count told Reuters. It is unclear if the death toll reported by the authorities includes the fighters.
Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were also killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon, one from a roadside explosion, the other involving a projectile.
As Donald Trump prepares to address the American people, US central command has released an update on the ongoing conflict in Iran.
Operation Epic Fury has seen more than 13,000 combat flights, which have struck over 12,000 targets and damaged or destroyed more than 150 Iranian vessels, according to Centcom.
Despite these raw statistics, Trump is struggling to reconcile weeks of changing goals and often contradictory messages about whether he’s winding down or ready to escalate military operations — as Iran keeps up its attacks on Israel and Gulf countries.
The New York Times has reported that US intelligence agencies believe Iran is not currently willing to engage in negotiations to end the war, and that despite the month-long bombing campaign by the US and Israel, the government in Tehran believes it remains in a strong position.
According to officials speaking to the NYT, Iran doesn’t trust the US or believe Donald Trump is serious about negotiations.
The current conflict was launched while Iran was locked in negotiations with US officials over its nuclear programme. Last year, Israel launched attacks on Iranian nuclear targets, again while the US was engaged in discussions with Tehran.
On Wednesday, Iran rejected Donald Trump’s claim that its leadership asked for a ceasefire, calling the US president’s statement “false” and “baseless”.
Tehran has repeatedly said there are no ongoing negotiations to end the war. The country’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has previously said Iran had the “necessary will” for a ceasefire, but only if its foes guaranteed hostilities would not resume.
Trump preparing to make first national address since launching Iran war a month ago
Donald Trump is minutes away from delivering his first formal address from the White House since launching the war in the Middle East a month ago.
It comes at a pivotal moment for the US president, as he faces accusations that he has lost control of the conflict and will not be able to achieve the key aims of the war.
Trump has continued to claim that the US has already won the war, and has refused to take responsibility for the economic fallout that has spread across the world.
In his speech, the president will give an operational update on the progress of Operation Epic Fury, while highlighting the military’s “success in achieving all of its stated goals”, a US official has said.
He is expected to reiterate the 2-3 week timetable for concluding the operation, but crucially is not expected to announced an end to the war.
Recent polling shows Trump’s overall approval rating slipping below 40%, with disapproval climbing above the mid-50s as voters sour on both the war and its economic fallout, while support for the Iran campaign itself polls even lower.
The economic picture has compounded the problem. US petrol prices have surged above $4 a gallon for the first time in years, while consumer confidence has weakened, dragging down Trump’s already fragile standing on the economy.
Opening summary
Welcome to our continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, as Donald Trump prepares to address America for the first time since the US-Israel war on Iran was launched.
The president will deliver the prime-time speech at 9pm ET from the White House.
The address comes as his administration faces plunging approval ratings, economic jitters and a spiralling diplomatic fallout. Trump is expected to try and reassure the nation that US goals are being met and that he has a plan for completing the war, which has roiled the US economy.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump claimed a major breakthrough, saying Iran’s president was seeking a ceasefire. This was swiftly denied by Iran’s foreign ministry, which also accused Washington of making “maximalist and irrational” demands.
Here’s what else has been happening today:
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Iran has rejected Donald Trump’s claim that its leadership asked for a ceasefire, calling the US president’s statement “false” and “baseless”. Trump made the claim in a post on Truth Social, which said: “Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE! We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”
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Trump also said he is “absolutely” considering withdrawing the US from Nato, warning that the matter was “beyond reconsideration” after the refusal of US allies to join the US-Israeli war against Iran. The president’s threats, his most determined to date, have left the alliance facing its worst crisis in its 77-year history, a former US ambassador has said. Here’s our story.
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Meanwhile, in an open letter to the American people, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said relations between Washington and Tehran were “misunderstood” and that Iran was not an aggressor. The Iranian “harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe, or neighbouring countries,” he said, adding that portrayals of Iran as a security threat were inaccurate, and Tehran was acting in self-defence – not aggression.
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In Tehran, Kamal Kharazi, a top foreign policy official and former Iranian foreign minister, has been severely injured in an airstrike on his home in the Iranian capital. His wife was reportedly killed in the attack. Kharazi, considered a moderate politician and veteran policy expert, also served as an adviser to the assassinated former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports suggest his targeting is being viewed as an attempt to derail diplomacy.
Prince Harry left the charity last year in an acrimonious dispute over how Sentebale was being managed.
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Essex v Somerset, Surrey v Leicestershire, and more: county cricket, day one – live | County Championship
Key events
Shoaib Bashir’s four for 69 is his best return in county cricket. And now he takes the new ball with Muhammad Abbas. Two new feathers for his Derbyshire cap.
This might be the moment to remind CCLive! readers that if a Championship team’s pitch is rated below average, poor or unfit, the home side will get zero points from the fixture, regardless of the match result.
Playing condition 16.2.6 reads. “In the event of a match being abandoned due to a pitch that has been rated unfit, or if the pitch is rated poor or below average, in accordance with the ECB’s pitch regulations, the home team shall be awarded zero points and any first innings points already achieved shall be rescinded,”
“The home team shall be credited with a loss and the away team a draw for tiebreaker purposes.”
A fourth wicket for Shoaib Bashir
A beauty from Bashir, as Bailey is bowled for one, the ball creeping past excellent defence and into his stumps. Lancs 314-8. Bashir has four.
Five wickets for George Hill
As Yorkshire roll out Hampshire for 251. JAck Lehmann the top scorer with 76 and a handy 17 at the close from Eddy Jack. Lyth and Bean settle at the crease.
And a couple more wickets at OT as Derbyshire fight back. Matty Hurst gives a dolly to Montgomery for 32 and Bashir bowls a half-advancing Tom Hartley for 17. Hartley turns his bat upside down and bangs the handle on the grass in disappointment. Lancs 306-7, Bashir 3-66.
James Price, Lancashire’s Easter bunny, head of marketing and communications has just appeared in the press box with a milky bar Easter Egg for everyone. Just don’t mention the SGMs…
Rain at Bristol – McKinney 182 not out
Rain has never been more welcome at Bristol, as the players are forced in with the score 348-2 after 67.2 overs. McKinney 182 not out.
A cracking caught and bowled by Shoaib Bashir, sliding onto his tummy rhythm and slurping it up. Michael Jones wasn’t too happy, but it looked legit to me. Lancs 283-5, Marcus Harris out for 125 just before tea.
And with the sun out, Marcus Harris close to his hundred and Shoaib Bashir bowling well at OT, time for me to write up for early Friday first edition. Do keep chatting BTL.
And Brett D’Oliveira (67 not out) is standing tall as the rest of the Worcestershire batting crumbles around him. Worcs 167-8 against new improved Middlesex. Two wickets to Naavya Sharma and Ryan Higgins. Worcs 171-8.
A hundred for Ricardo Vasconcelos!
And he’s just gone, a wicket for Jas Singh, after 127 from 170 balls. Kent breathe a sigh of relief. Northants 229-1.
A century for Alex Lees
Durham continue their unrelenting pummelling of Glos – as Alex Lees joins the three figures club. McKinney is still flying along – 141 from 140 balls. Durham 261-0.
Compared to what’s happening elsewhere, Hampshire are plodding along at Headingley. Ben Maynes and Jake Lehmann have put on an unbeaten 50 for the fifth wickets. Two wickets for George Hill. Hants 161-4.
A wicket for Bashir!
But no century for Josh Bohannon, who chops Bashir onto his stumps for 73, done by a ball that spins and bounces. Bashir, half a (luxuriant) head taller than most of the players on the field, does a little jig of happiness. A wicket in his second over. Lancs 157-3.
Apologies to all – McCullum is not at Hove. Just his lookalike. But Rob Key is. And we pause at OT while Rocky Flintoff runs out with the modern equivalent of brown paper and string to help Marcus Harris repair his bat.
Runs for Pope and Smith
Simon Burnton
Very good since lunch, though Smith (76) was nearly caught at gully off a flashing drive, for which he demonstratively chastised himself. They’ve both hit lovely cover drives. A sharp single ended with Patel’s throw hitting Pope (61) and running away to the boundary for five runs, which is always fun. Leicestershire looking a little forlorn. Surrey 172-2.
Warwickshire’s mediocre morning continues into the afternoon where they have just lost Beau Webster for 48. A second wicket for Ollie Robinson at Hove. Warwicks 116-5.
Timm Van der Gugten, enjoying his trip to Trent Bridge, has just picked up his fourth Notts wicket, Patterson-White bowled for one. Fergus O’Neill has bashed five fours to get the scoreboard moving, Jack Haynes 37 not out. Glamorgan frisky after that morale-boosting draw against Yorkshire. Notts 140-6.
At Chelmsford, Matt Critchley, Rothesay CC player of round one for his 173 and five for nine, has returned to earth with a bump. Out for a three-ball duck to Somerset secret weapon Tom Lammonby, who also dismissed Dean Elgar for 41. Essex 112 for five.
Lancashire are making hay the afternoon, Harris has fifty too, getting there with a drive past Bohanon’s feet to the deep mid-on boundary. Lancs 127-2.
Rob Key watching at Hove
Thanks to Mike Bennett and his steward spy.
“A decent effort from both Ollie and young Henry this morning but Fynn H-P probably still takes my pick for the bowling award that session.
“Robinson looks much fitter and to have regained a bit of the gas that was lacking last season, I think he was unlucky not to have picked at least one more wicket – a couple of edges falling short or squeezing through the cordon.
“Crocombe on as first change again, a couple of very tight overs from both ends with decent speed, although neither Yates nor Webster seemed particularly troubled in negotiating it.
“A steward told me that both *Baz and Rob Key are in attendance today, so you’d think this is Robinson’s best chance to get himself more firmly “into the conversation” before his last chance passes.
“The sun is breaking through a bit and both batters are looking settled but I’d still say advantage Sussex at this point.”
*this turned out to be just Rob Key, with Baz somewhere as yet unknown
A hundred for Ben McKinney!
McKinney, who was much mentioned last season but didn’t make the Ashes tour in the end, smacks two sixes and 18 fours in a brutal century against Gloucestershire. Durham 171-0.
Fifty for Josh Bohannon, in an early-season fruitful patch. A lunchtime stroll around OT revealed a little girl in fairy dress batting against her mum, and a boy in a Lancs shirt smacking his dad around the concourse. Lancashire 102-2.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 80-4 v Somerset
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 101-5 v Glamorgan
The Oval: Surrey 110-2 v Leicestershire
Hove: Sussex v Warwickshire 69-3
Headingley: Yorkshire v Hampshire 82-2
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Durham 143-0
Canterbury: Kent v Northamptonshire 124-0
Old Trafford: Lancashire 88-2 v Derbyshire
Lord’s: Middlesex v Worcestershire 84-5
Time for one not very eventful over from Shoaib Bashir before they trundle in for lunch at OT. Lunch scores around the grounds to follow.
Fifty for Ricardo Vasconcelos
Kent’s bowlers also proving tasty fare – and Northants tucking in. Vasconcelos 73 not out from 94 balls.
Fifty for Ben McKinney
Big Ben McKinney doing exactly what the selectors are asking with 82 off 84 balls – though runs against Gloucestershire are some of the easiest. Apologies Glos supporters, I feel cruel typing that. Durham 141-0.
A wave to Will Unwin, who is sometimes watching from the stands at OT with his daughter, but is stuck behind a laptop today.
“I am intrigued by the lineup. After missing last season, for Lancashire at least, I am surprised Rocky Flintoff is not getting a chance. I can’t imagine Paul Coughlin is the long term answer either. Flintoff needs to develop and will not do it watching from the stands.
“I appreciate without Jennings, a Plan B is required but Singh has rarely convinced with the bat. Marcus Harris is an opener by trade and his experience could be significant there, taking the pressure off Singh, who could be allowed to move down the order.”
I should have said that Jennings is out with a calf injury – though Lancs hope he’ll be back for the next round.
I’d like to see Harris opening too but he bats five for Victoria, coming in after Leicestershire’s Peter Handscomb. This is his first game since the cracking Sheffield Shield final which Victoria lost by 56 runs to South Australia.
Lancashire SGMs
Reports from Lancashire’s two Special General Meetings at The Point here at OT last night are suitably chaotic. The first SGM, the one organised by the club, was adjourned before any of the seven resolutions were passed as there wasn’t a legal advisor in the room.
The second meeting, held by the “dissidents,”wanted to raise the number of former employees who could sit on the Board from two to four. It was won by 672-401 votes, but that wasn’t a big enough percentage to pass.
Josh Bohannon is dropped in the slips on 28. Chappell prowls back to his mark near the Old Trafford pavilion where hundreds of people are gathered in zipped-up fleece excitement. A good turn-out all the way round the stands for the first home game of the season.
At The Oval, Surrey are 52-2 against Leicestershire, both openers gone.One of those wicket-takers was Josh Hull who sent Sibley on his way for four. Gary Naylor is keeping an eye on things.
“Josh Hull is back at The Oval bowling from the same end as he did in his one Test. There’s no speedgun here (as far as I can see), but he looks very sharp, pushing 90mph I suspect, delivering a heavy ball. At 21, he has lost a bit of that teenage gawkiness, though he’s a big unit and will need to manage his body carefully.”
He’s huge isn’t he? I watched him go through his paces at Grace Road. Like an oak tree in a forest of saplings.
Glamorgan’s van der Gugten and Ryan Hadley have reduced Nottinghamshire to 50 for three, though not before Ben Duckett, who turned down his IPL gig for the CC, had knocked out 25 at about a run a ball. Joe Clarke is not out for a nippy 18 from 20 balls.
Round the grounds Northamptonshire’s Ricardo Vasconcelos and Luke Procter are having fun against Kent (58-0); Durham’s Ben McKinney and Alex Lees similar japes against Gloucestershire (59-0) but elsewhere the bowlers are taking early-season prizes.
The first email of the day drops into the CCLive postbag. Hello Mike Bennett!
“Good morning from Hove, where the glorious weather of the last few days has given way to slightly overcast conditions, although the sun is doing it’s best to break through.
“Living in Scotland means I very rarely get the chance to watch the CC in person, so despite being a Yorkie, staying just around the corner from the County Ground this week meant this was too good an opportunity to pass up.
“Fynn Hudson-Prentice opening the bowling with Robinson has bowled a couple of very sharp overs and Robinson has just whistled one past Alex Davies’ nose, so it looks like we’re shaping up for a decent first session.
“Thanks for the ever-great work with the live blog, it’s a lifeline for those of us stranded in cricket wildernesses! (Although a dedicated reader, this is the first time I’ve written in).”
It’s lovely to hear from you Mike and I’m glad the Guardian can help keep you connected. I’d be interested in what you think about Robinson and Henry Crocombe, both who are on the ECB scouts’ radar. And I see Warwicks have lost two early wickets – one each to Robinson and Hudson-Prentice. Sussex 12-2.
And an early wicket for Abbas, as ever liquid gold. Singh with an elaborate prod, edging to Guest. Harris strolls out to resume his usual relaying of the foundations role. Lancashire 13 for two.
An early wicket here at OT, though we were too distracted in the press box by a frozen telly to notice. Luke Wells well caught, diving to his left at third slip off Ben Aitchison, for four. It brings in Josh Bohannon’s for his 100th first-class match.
Haseeb Hameed will have the rest of the day to admire the ball by Timm van der Gugten that, in bright sunshine, sent him on his way first ball. HH cocked his leg to dink the ball into the leg side but instead lost his leg stump.
Out come the Derbyshire players, hands firmly stuck around handwarmers, deep in pockets. Lancs have three changes from the side that drew with Worcestershire – adding Mitch Stanley, Marcus Harris and Paul Coughlin. Muhammad Abbas has the new ball from the Statham End.
Domestic Journalism Awards
Congratulations to all the winners of the ECB’s Domestic Journalism awards – jobs well done.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins Young Journalist of the Year: Cameron Ponsonby
Christopher Martin-Jenkins Broadcaster of the Year: Aaron Viles
Outstanding Online Coverage: BBC Sport Online
Highly Commended: The Cricketer Online
Regional Newspaper of the Year: Yorkshire Post
Highly Commended: Liverpool Echo
Podcast of the Year: The Final Word
Highly Commended: Wisden Cricket Weekly, 150 Not Out: Somerset County Cricket Club
Video Content Creator of the Year: Cricket District
Photo of the Year: David Griffin
Highly Commended: Nathan Stirk
I love the elongated figures in the winning photo Groundstaff from above by David Griffin, who is here at Old Trafford today to cover Derbyshire. You can find it here if you scroll down the page.
Ajaz Patel makes his debut for Leicestershire today. The Foxes will have to crank up their match skills from their defeat by Sussex in the last round, to hold off Surrey at The Oval.
To Old Trafford, where the outfield is busy with slip catching practise and bowling run ins. Derbyshire have won the toss and have sent Lancashire in to have a bat.
Division Two table
Middlesex 22
Derbyshire 16
Lancashire 14
Durham 13
Northamptonshire 12
Kent 11
Worcestershire 11
Gloucestershire -1
Division one table
Essex 22
Warwickshire 16
Nottinghamshire 13
Somerset 13
Glamorgan 12
Surrey 11
Sussex 10
Yorkshire 10
Leicestershire 3
Hampshire 2
Fixtures
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex v Somerset
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan
The Oval: Surrey v Leicestershire
Hove: Sussex v Warwickshire
Headingley: Yorkshire v Hampshire
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Durham
Canterbury: Kent v Northamptonshire
Old Trafford: Lancashire v Derbyshire
Lord’s: Middlesex v Worcestershire
Preamble
Good morning! Welcome to round two of this Championship summer – all cherry blossom and leftover hot cross buns . We have another full set of matches and can start to divine whether last week’s wins for Sussex, Essex and Middlesex were anything more than early season luck. Play starts around the grounds at 11am, do join us.
Two men and two women, whose identities have not yet been released, died when they tried to board a water taxi off the coast of Saint Etienne au Mont, near Calais.
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