President Donald Trump on Wednesday night delivered an address to the nation that achieved the legacy media headlines he needed to be displayed for the American people and made an unequivocal America-first declaration that the issues surrounding the Strait of Hormuz are not America's problem.

"We produce more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined," Trump said in a prime-time White House address. "And we're in great shape for the future. The U.S. imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won't be taking any in the future. We don't need it."  

In the address, Trump also assured Americans that the conflict with Iran will soon come to an end, which is exactly the headline he needed and that most of the legacy media led with in their coverage. 

CNN featured the headline, "Trump says Iran war is 'nearing completion' in address to the nation," similar to the Washington Post's "Trump defends decision to attack Iran, says conflict is 'nearing completion.'" 

The Wall Street Journal also mimicked the sentiment with its headline, "Trump says U.S. 'Very Close' to Finishing War in Address." 

Polls have consistently shown that despite rhetoric from some anti-war Republicans, much of Trump's base supports and trusts him on Iran, on which the U.S. and Israel began launching air attacks on Feb. 28. 

A POLITICO Public First poll, from March 13-18, showed that 81% of self-identified MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters are on Trump's side on the Iran issue. 

Perhaps that's because Trump has been unambiguous. 

"I made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until our objectives are fully achieved. Thanks to the progress we've made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly. 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 Wednesday night.

In what appeared to be open negotiations with China, and perhaps an expression of a need for urgency on China's part, Trump passively suggested that other nations that utilize oil through the strait need to be the ones to protect it. 

"The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it," he said. "They should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on."

In recent years (including 2025 data), roughly 40–50% of China's crude oil imports have transited the strait, primarily from Middle Eastern suppliers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE, Oman and (often unreported) Iran.

This represents about half of China's total crude oil imports coming from the Gulf region, with China receiving the largest share (around 37–38%) of all oil and condensate flowing through the strait.

Trump continued the pressure campaign: "So to those countries that can't get fuel, many of which refuse to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion. Number one: buy oil from the United States. We have plenty of it. And number two: build up some delayed courage. Go to the strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves." 

Trump earlier Wednesday faced questions about the timeline of the conflict, but in his address appeared more direct and specific on what's needed to bring it to a conclusion, which, according to Trump, is the completion of its military objectives.

Those objectives include destroying Iran's ballistic missile arsenal, launchers, and production/industrial capacity; annihilating their navy; ensuring Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon; and severing Iran's support for an ability to arm, fund or direct terrorist proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

According to the administration, ballistic missile attacks by Iran are down 90%, drone attacks are down 90%, and US forces have struck over 11,000 Iranian targets. The United States has damaged or destroyed over 66% of Iranian missile, drone and naval production facilities and shipyards.

Trump also highlighted the momentum that began during his first term to end Iran's nuclear capabilities. 

"This situation has been going on for 47 years and should've been handled long before I arrived in office," he said. "I did many things during my two terms in office to stop the quest for nuclear weapons by Iran. First, and perhaps most importantly, I killed the general in my first term. ... If he lived we probably would've been having different conversations."

The president also took time during his address to praise U.S. armed forces for delivering overwhelming victories that have left Iran's "Navy gone and its Air Force in ruins." 

He also expressed condolences and lamented the "13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran."

Trump reinforced the importance of ending the tyrannical regime in Iran, which many previous presidents have sought to achieve. 

"From the very first day I announced my campaign for president in 2015, I have vowed that I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This fanatical regime has been chanting 'death to America,' 'death to Israel' for 47 years."

According to Trump, the regime in Iran was quickly developing a "vast stockpile of conventional ballistic missiles, and would soon have had missiles that could reach the American homeland, Europe, and virtually any other place on earth."