US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the Middle East is closer than ever to its rise and is “finally free” from what he described as Iranian terror and nuclear coercion as the US-Iran war entered its 29th day.
Addressing the Future Investment Initiative Priority Summit in Florida, Trump said, “Tonight, we’re closer than ever to the rise of the Middle East that is finally free at last from Iranian terror and nuclear blackmail.”
Discussing ongoing US military operations, Trump claimed that the United States is “ending the threat” posed by Iran, referring to actions under what he called Operation Epic Fury, and asserted that Iran’s capabilities were being significantly weakened.
“We have the most powerful military in the world by far… We have weapons that nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said, adding that Iran, which he described as a long-time “bully” in the region, is now “on the run”.
“They are being decimated. We are talking now, they want to make a deal,” he said, according to a report by The Guardian.
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Trump on the US-Iran war and strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Trump said he is extending the pause on strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure by an additional 10 days, until April 6, 2026, as part of ongoing diplomatic talks between the two sides.
In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed the decision came at the “request” of the Iranian government and said negotiations with Tehran were “going very well”.
“As per the Iranian government’s request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” the post read.
Earlier this week, Trump announced he had instructed the US Department of War to delay any military action against Iranian power plants and energy sites for five days, citing ongoing diplomatic engagements with Tehran amid escalating tensions in West Asia.
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Shifting timelines and development in the US-Iran war
Before this, Trump had issued a warning to Tehran, giving it 48 hours to open the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz or face potential strikes on its energy facilities.
Trump’s latest extension of deadlines, first moved from Monday to Friday with a five-day reprieve, and now pushed back by another 10 days – reflects shifting timelines amid evolving developments.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking after the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in France, warned against Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
“For these people to ever get nuclear weapons would be crazy. Look what they’re willing to do with the weapons they have now… Imagine if these radical lunatics had a nuclear weapon to threaten the world with,” Rubio said.
The remarks come amid escalating tensions in West Asia, with growing international concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional security dynamics.
