Trump to address nation on Iran Wednesday, after hinting at war's end

Rebecca Falconer

President Trump, an older man in a dark navy suit and red patterned tie sits at a desk, hands spread as he speaks. Behind him are American flags and a gold-framed emblem in a formal office setting. — President Trump at the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Trump will address the nation on Wednesday evening on the war in Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Why it matters: Leavitt's Tuesday evening announcement on X came soon after Trump told reporters at the White House that U.S. forces could leave the Middle East in "two or three weeks."

The address is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.

The big picture: Oil prices have soared since American and Israeli forces first struck Iran on Feb. 28. AAA said Tuesday that U.S. average gas prices had hit $4 per gallon nationwide for the first time since 2022.

Driving the news: A reporter asked Trump in the Oval Office earlier Tuesday how he planned to bring oil prices down

"All I have to do is leave Iran, and we'll be doing that very soon," Trump said, predicting prices would come "tumbling down."
U.S. forces are "finishing the job," he said, giving varying estimates from "two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer," to "maybe three," adding: "We knocked out tremendous amounts of missile making facilities."

Of note: Trump said Tehran didn't have to make a deal with the U.S. in order for American forces to leave the region.

And he said securing the throttled Strait of Hormuz is "not for us — that'll be for France," Trump said. "That'll be for whoever's using the strait."

Go deeper: China and Pakistan present new Iran deal: Ceasefire for opening Hormuz

Add Axios on Google

Trump to address nation on Iran Wednesday, after hinting at war's end

What to read next