President Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war during a prime-time address at the White House on April 1.
Alex Brandon/Pool/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Alex Brandon/Pool/Getty Images
Stay up to date with our politics newsletter sent weekly.
President Trump is holding a press conference Monday afternoon, his first since the US and Israel started war with Iran more than a month ago.
Monday’s press conference comes just days after Trump last week formally addressed the nation from the White House and said the conflict would end “soon.” He criticized other countries, though did not name any in particular, and said it was up to others to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which 20% of the world’s oil is transported.
Watch the 1 pm ET news conference here:
Iran’s closure of the strait during the war has sent global gas prices soaring, reaching nearly $4 a gallon in the US last week.
The president is also threatening to escalate strikes on Iran on Tuesday if the strait is not reopened by tomorrow evening.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran, it will all come together,” Trump said on social media over the weekend.
This post comes when there has been some progress in talks between America and Iran. On Sunday, a 45-day ceasefire proposal was submitted to America and Iran. On Monday, Trump called the proposal “an important step.”
The President has repeatedly said that the war will last about six weeks. But now, in its sixth week, the timeline for when the war will end and whether Trump’s objectives will be achieved remains unclear.
For several weeks, Trump has been moving the goal posts on the administration’s goals with Iran, including whether the US would remove Iran’s uranium stockpile. Trump has also suggested that the US could end the war but attack Iran again later if their goal is to create nuclear security.
Poll shows Americans oppose war in Iran. Even among the president’s Republican supporters, his approval ratings have declined. A cnn poll Data released last week showed that Republicans who strongly approved of Trump’s job performance fell to 43%, compared with 52% in January.
High costs, including gas prices, remain the biggest concern for voters heading into midterm elections in about six months. On Monday, Trump said high prices could last through the summer.
Trump said of Iran, “We will never let them have nuclear weapons.” “And if we have to pay a little extra for fuel for a few months, and we will do that, but we will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
