The U.S leader gave no timeline for ending the conflict....

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a televised speech on Wednesday night that the U.S. military had nearly achieved its objectives in Iran, but gave no clear timeline for ending the month-long conflict and vowed to escalate strikes if needed.

Facing a war-weary American public, declining approval ratings and pressure from allies to clarify his strategy, Trump said U.S. forces had destroyed Iran’s navy and air force and crippled its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes.

However, he declined to outline a concrete plan to wind down the war, now in its fifth week, saying only that the United States would complete the mission “very fast.”

“We have all the cards,” Trump said from the White House in his first primetime address since U.S. and Israeli forces launched the campaign on Feb. 28. “They have none.”

Trump glossed over key unresolved issues, including the status of Iran’s enriched uranium and access through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil route that Iran has effectively closed. He said the strait would reopen “naturally” once the conflict ends.

The 19-minute address offered little reassurance to Americans and allies concerned about rising fuel costs and the war’s duration. Financial markets reacted swiftly, with stocks falling, the dollar strengthening and oil prices rising.

The president and his advisers have given shifting explanations of the conflict’s objectives and timeline. While portraying Iran as militarily weakened, Trump said the United States would intensify strikes over the next two to three weeks.

If Iran’s leadership failed to negotiate, he said, Washington would target electricity generation and oil infrastructure.

“We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump said. “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Age.”

Air raid sirens sounded in Doha and Tel Aviv during his speech, underscoring Iran’s continued capacity to strike across the region despite heavy losses.

Trump acknowledged concerns over rising gasoline prices but said they would soon fall.

He blamed the increases largely on Iran. The U.S President urged countries reliant on Gulf oil to take the lead in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. support.

He also criticised NATO allies for not offering to help secure the passage, though he did not elaborate on the alliance during the address.

Trump urged Americans to “keep this conflict in perspective,” noting that previous wars in Iraq, Vietnam and Korea lasted far longer.