Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News President Donald Trump said in a televised address on Wednesday that the war with Iran is nearing success, arguing U.S. forces have largely achieved their objectives and that the conflict could end soon. At the same time, he signaled possible escalation, warning the U.S. could intensify strikes over the next two to three weeks and push Iran “back to the stone age...
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News President Donald Trump said in a televised address on Wednesday that the war with Iran is nearing success, arguing U.S. forces have largely achieved their objectives and that the conflict could end soon. At the same time, he signaled possible escalation, warning the U.S. could intensify strikes over the next two to three weeks and push Iran “back to the stone ages.” Markets reacted negatively, with oil prices rising and U.S. equity futures falling. WTI crude oil futures ( CL1:COM ) rose 6.1% to $106/barrel . Brent crude futures ( CO1:COM ) - the international oil benchmark - rose 6.5% to $107.7/barrel. Here are some oil-focused exchange-traded funds: ( USO ), ( UCO ), ( DBO ), ( OILK ), and ( USL ). Lawmakers offered sharply divided responses. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the address and asked if there has “ever been a more rambling, disjointed, and pathetic presidential war speech?” “Donald Trump’s actions in Iran will be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in the history of our country, failing to articulate objectives, alienating allies, and ignoring the kitchen table problems Americans are facing,” Schumer said in a post on X. The Democratic leader warned Trump is “completely unfit to be Commander-in-Chief and the whole world knows it.” Sen. Mark Warner also criticized the address, saying it “did little to answer the most basic questions” about the conflict. He warned the war is already driving up costs for fuel, fertilizer and other essentials, with longer-term economic consequences. Warner added there is still no clear plan to secure Iran’s nuclear material, while risks around ballistic missile capabilities and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz persist. Republicans, however, praised the address. Sen. Lindsey Graham called it a “compelling explanation” for confronting Iran and said the U.S. is within “two to three weeks” of achieving its military objectives, including dismantling Iran’s missile ...