President Donald Trump declared in a primetime address Wednesday that the United States will “hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard” if Tehran refuses to agree to a ceasefire deal with the U.S., signaling an imminent escalation in military operations against the Islamic Republic.
“The United States is gearing up to strike Iran ‘extremely hard’ over the next two to three weeks,” Trump stated, adding that the regime’s oil infrastructure would be a target should negotiations collapse. “If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.”
The president outlined Operation Epic Fury as part of a broader campaign targeting Iran’s military capabilities, emphasizing that U.S. forces would focus on “eliminating Iran’s navy,” “hurting their air force,” and “annihilating their defense industrial base” while destroying the Islamic Republic’s “weapons, factories, and rocket launchers.” Trump also noted that Tehran had relocated its nuclear program after previous strikes to signal an unbroken commitment to developing nuclear weapons.
“The regime change was not our goal,” Trump said during the address. “We never said regime change, but regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders’ death. They’re all dead. The new group is less radical and much more reasonable.”
The president reiterated that U.S. military operations would achieve “core strategic objectives” within a short timeframe—including dismantling Iran’s land and sea power, eradicating ballistic missile stockpiles, and ending nuclear development—while stressing the Islamic Republic’s refusal to comply with his 15-point peace plan requiring uranium stockpile surrender and facility closures.