Summary

  1. Iran warns of 'crushing' and 'broader' attacks on US and Israelpublished at 07:29 BST

    A spokesperson for the Iranian military says the US and Israel have been striking "insignificant" targets as he warns of incoming "crushing, broader and destructive" attacks.

    In a statement shared by the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency and the semi-official Fars news agency, he says the two countries have "incomplete" information about Tehran's military capabilities and equipment.

    The spokesperson adds that Iran's military production "takes place in places that you do not know at all" - as he rejects Trump's claims that Iran's weapons stock has been widely depleted.

    He says the US and Israel "must pay for the aggression you initiated".

  2. What Trump said in his primetime address to the nationpublished at 07:18 BST

    US President Donald Trump arrives to address the nation from the Cross Hall of the White House. He is wearing a red tie and is flanked by US flagsImage source, Getty Images

    Trump's address to the nation last night was largely repetitive, with little new information garnered.

    The president offered few answers. Our North America correspondent takes a closer look at the glaring omissions and plethora of questions unanswered.

    Here's a look back at what Trump said in his primetime address:

    • Trump said the US is on track to soon complete all of its military objectives against Iran
    • He vowed the US would hit the Iranians extremely hard over the next two to three weeks
    • The president urged countries reliant on oil from the Middle East to go to the Strait of Hormuz and "just take it". Trump also called for countries to buy US oil instead
    • He claimed Iran was "right at the doorstep" of making a nuclear weapon, adding the US "obliterated" the country's nuclear sites
    • He warned that if no deal was made within the next few weeks the US would strike Iran's power plants
  3. A quick guide to oil, as prices climb after Trump's addresspublished at 06:42 BST

    In the hours after President Donald Trump's primetime address to the nation oil prices have climbed. Brent crude oil jumped 5% to $106 a barrel.

    Trump's address appears to have done nothing to reassure global oil markets that disruption to the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route will ease anytime soon, our business reporter writes.

    In his address, the US president said countries that need oil from the Middle East should now take the lead to keep the key waterway open - around 20% of the world’s oil supply normally passes through the strait.

    Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, causing energy prices to become volatile and remain well above levels before the conflict began.

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  4. Trump's 'mission nearly accomplished' momentpublished at 06:13 BST

    Tom Bateman
    US State Department correspondent

    This appeared to be President Trump’s "mission nearly accomplished" moment; but with the extraordinary caveat that Iran’s grip over oil transiting through the Strait of Hormuz was essentially not America’s problem.

    While he said the US would help, he reiterated his demand that countries who rely on the strait for their energy supplies should take the lead in re-opening it.

    Trump suggested the US could wrap up its military operations soon; but in the meantime he threatened overwhelming destruction.

    "We will hit them extremely hard over next two to three weeks," he says. "We will bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong."

    Despite saying Iran had been crushed militarily, Trump still demanded that it do a deal with the US, without setting out anything about the terms. He once again vowed that if it didn’t, the US would bomb all of Iran’s power plants.

  5. Trump did not mention Nato in his 19-minute speechpublished at 05:51 BST

    US President Donald Trump speaks about about the Iran war on 1 April 2026.Image source, EPA

    One glaring omission from President Trump's speech was Nato - made all the more obvious after he reportedly told the Telegraph he was considering pulling the US out of the alliance late on Wednesday evening.

    The president told the paper that the alliance is a "paper tiger" and when asked if he would reconsider the US's membership of the alliance after the conflict in the Middle East, said: "Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration."

    As pointed out by the BBC's White House correspondent earlier, the president would face significant legislative hurdles if he was to go ahead with this withdrawal.

    Given that Trump has revisited a number of previous talking points in his primetime address, it's notable that the alliance hasn't been one of them.

  6. Oil prices spike and stocks fall as Trump's speech fails to reassure marketspublished at 05:26 BST

    Nick Marsh
    Asia Business Reporter, Singapore

    Donald Trump addresses the nation at the White HouseImage source, Getty Images

    In Asia morning trade, the price of oil spiked and stocks fell in response to US President Donald Trump's speech, which failed to reassure global markets that the war was any closer to ending and that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would return to normal.

    As soon as Trump finished speaking, the price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 5% to $106 a barrel. Stock markets in Asia also began to slide.

    Although Trump reiterated his two to three week timeline, he offered no concrete update to investors on just how exactly this war would end.

    His promise to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages" if it didn't agree to a deal certainly won't have reassured markets. Even if the conflict did end this month, it would still take considerable time for normal levels of shipping to resume through the Strait of Hormuz.

  7. 'Not clear' what more to be achieved in Iran, says Australian PMpublished at 04:43 BST

    Anthony Albanese stands at a podium before a blue backdrop.Image source, EPA

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says that while Australia supported the objective of "preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon", it is now unclear "what more needs to be achieved or what the end point looks like".

    His comments came during an address to the National Press Club, which was occurring at the same time as Trump's speech.

    The prime minister was also asked specifically about the time frame Trump has laid out for an end to the conflict, to which he said that "Australia wasn't consulted before this began".

    "What I have said very clearly is that we do want to see a de-escalation and I want there to be recognition, greater clarity about how this ends," he says.

    The remarks follow a short speech from Albanese nearly 24 hours ago, in which he warned Australians that "the months ahead may not be easy".

    "Australia is not an active participant in this war. But all Australians are paying higher prices because of it," he said.

  8. Analysis

    More glaring omissions from Trump - and four questions it leavespublished at 04:15 BST

    Gary O'Donoghue
    Chief North America correspondent

    President Trump's speech was largely a rehash of what he has been saying for days. Copy and paste his social media posts over the last week or so, and you get this address to the nation.

    There were also a number of glaring omissions which leave a plethora of questions unanswered.

    First: Israel. Does Benjamin Netanyahu's government agree with this timetable? We just don't know.

    Second: what happened to the idea of retrieving the hundreds of kilos of enriched uranium buried under rubble from last year's 12-day war?

    Third: what is the president's settled view on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz? He now says it would reopen "naturally" when the war is over.

    Fourth: is he serious about pulling out of Nato?

    The truth is, that after twenty minutes of a national address, we're really none the wiser about what victory in this war looks like.

    And given the often conflicting nature of the president's views from one day to the next, everything could change at any time.

  9. More reactions to Trump's speech are coming inpublished at 03:43 BST

    Trump's threats to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages where they belong" drew sharp criticism from some lawmakers.

    "He’s talking about a country of 90 million people," Representative Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, says. "Vile, horrifying, evil."

    On X, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote simply: "Back to the Stone Age."

    Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, is also critical of the address. "Trump, as always, lied to us," Van Hollen, a Democrat, says. "Over 2 weeks ago he said 'we won.' If so, then why are we still there? What’s next? All we can count on is more lies from Trump. This delusional man is a danger to our country and the world."

    US House Majority Leader Steve Scalise complimented the speech.

    "Tonight, President Trump laid out an incredibly compelling case to the nation for Operation Epic Fury," Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, says. "The Iranian regime's long history of terror and murdering Americans demonstrates why it was necessary to stop them from getting a nuclear weapon."

  10. Many of Trump's talking points have been said beforepublished at 03:27 BST

    Trump revisited many of the points he has raised before today during his primetime address.

    The president said the war was a response to 47 years of violence by Iran and their proxies, recalling the bombing of a US Marine barracks nearly four decades ago and the attack on the USS Cole in 2000.

    Trump previously wrote on social media on 13 March that the Iran regime has been "killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years now".

    "And now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!" Trump wrote then.

    On Wednesday, he also repeated that the US will "leave" Iran within two to three weeks, which would extend the conflict past the four-to-six week deadline that the administration had given at the start of the war.

    The US will spend the coming weeks bombing Iran "back to the Stone Ages", said Trump, repeating threats he made earlier this week.

    "We are 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," he said in his address.

  11. Asia stock markets fallpublished at 03:24 BST

    Peter Hoskins
    Business reporter, Singapore

    Major stock indexes in Asia are trading lower after Trump's address, reversing earlier gains.

    The Nikkei 225 in Japan is down by 1.5%, South Korea's Kospi is 2.6% lower and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong is 1% lower.

    The region's stock markets have been volatile since the Iran war started at the end of February.

    Asia is particularly vulnerable to the impact of the conflict as it is heavily reliant on the Middle East for its energy supplies.

  12. IDF says Israel targeted by Iranian missilespublished at 03:18 BST

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has identified missiles launched from Iran towards Israel "a short while ago", in a fresh update via Telegram.

    The report came just 15 minutes after Trump wrapped up his 19-minute speech, where he said that the strategic objectives in the US war with Iran were "nearing completion", and the Tehran's military capabilities has been destroyed.

    Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.

  13. US lawmakers react to Trump's speechpublished at 03:11 BST

    US lawmakers have also been reacting to the president's speech.

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted the speech before adding "Donald Trump’s actions in Iran will be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in the history of our country".

    Schumer, a Democrat from New York, says Trump is "failing to articulate objectives, alienating allies, and ignoring the kitchen table problems Americans are facing".

    Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham gave a more positive reaction to the speech. He told Fox News that Iran has the option to make a deal or face more bombing.

    "President Trump outlined targets that would destroy the ability of this regime to survive over time," Graham says, referring to Trump's threats to strike Iran's electric grid.

    "If you don't take this deal, we're going to blow up all of the things that you need to come back. This was a defining moment in this campaign."

  14. Key military leaders in the room with Trumppublished at 02:59 BST

    Mandatory Credit: Photo by DOUG MILLS/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock (16812751d) General Dan Caine (C), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R, rear) listen as President Donald Trump makes an address to the Nation from the Cross Hall of the White House, in Washinton, DC, USA, 01 April 2026. US President Donald J. Trump delivers a nationwide address on Iran, Washington Dc, USAImage source, /EPA/Shutterstock

    While Trump gave his national address, a group of military leaders sat and watched on at the Cross Hall in the White House.

    Among them was Gen Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also present, along with members of Trump's cabinet.

  15. US stock market futures fallpublished at 02:56 BST

    While global oil markets are rising in reaction to Trump's address, US stock futures are falling - pointing to a lower open for Wall Street on Thursday morning.

    Dow Jones and S&P 500 futures are around 0.7% lower, while Nasdaq futures are down by about 1%.

    Stock market futures are contracts that allow investors to buy or sell a stock index at a set price on a future date.

    They function as a bet on which direction investors expect the market to head, with prices reflecting market sentiment.

  16. UAE intercepting missiles launched by Iranpublished at 02:53 BST

    The United Arab Emirates is in the midst of fending off incoming missile and drone threats, its defence ministry said in the last hour, just before US President Donald Trump's address.

    The ministry said the attacks have come from Iran and alerted the public about sounds being heard across the country as it works to intercept the missiles.

    In his address that wrapped up minutes ago, Trump thanked the UAE and other Gulf allies, which have come under fire by Iran in retaliation to the US-Israeli strikes.

    Trump said that the Iranian regime was launching "deranged terror attacks" against oil tankers and neighbouring countries that "have nothing to do with the conflict" as he addressed concerns about rising energy prices.

  17. Trump's address raises doubt about war aims, former US ambassador to Nato tells BBCpublished at 02:50 BST

    We can bring you some early reaction to Trump's speech.

    Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to Nato, says Trump's speech didn't answer many critical questions including why the US is still carrying out military action in Iran if Trump says Iran's nuclear capabilities, navy, and missiles have been destroyed.

    "I don't see why we think we should be safer... and I think the American public have a similar sense of doubt," he tells the BBC's Sumi Somaskanda.

    He says while Trump didn't come out strongly against Nato allies and repeat threats to pull out of the alliance in this speech, he is likely to do later on social media.

  18. Global oil prices rise after Trump addresspublished at 02:37 BST

    Peter Hoskins
    Business reporter, Singapore

    Trump's address appears to have done nothing to reassure global oil markets that disruption to the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route will ease anytime soon.

    The price of benchmark Brent crude was trading at about $100 a barrel before the president started speaking.

    It fluctuated during the address but is now heading higher and is currently up by around 4% at $105.38.

    The strait is crucial to the global economy as around 20% of the world's energy usually passes through the narrow shipping lane.

    It has been effectively shut since the conflict started on 28 February as Iran retaliated to US and Israeli airstrikes by threatening to attack ships using the waterway.

  19. Trump's speech had no 'clear plan', analyst tells BBCpublished at 02:36 BST

    Melissa Toufanian, who was a senior adviser to former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, tells the BBC that she thinks American audiences are likely "more confused" about the Iran war after Trump's speech.

    "I don't think there's a single American who was watching that speech today who is going to feel like there is a clear plan, like there is a clear timeline, that we are safer and more secure," she says.

  20. Trump wraps up his speechpublished at 02:31 BST

    Trump concludes his 19-minute address.

    "Tonight, every American can look forward to a day when we are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the spectre of nuclear blackmail," he says.

    The president promises that when the war is over "the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous and greater than it has ever been before".