World War III Is Off for Now. What Did Donald Trump Say in His Address to the American People? Key Points

The US president addressed the nation.

US President Donald Trump made a statement regarding Iran's attack on American military bases in Iraq. On the night of January 7-8, the US military base Ain al-Asad, located in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, as well as a base at Erbil airport in Kurdistan, came under missile fire.

 The attacks began at 1:20 a.m., and at the same time General Qasem Soleimani was killed on January 3.   

Iran has officially claimed responsibility for the missile attacks on the American base. Iran threatens to carry out heavier strikes if the US decides to respond, and also warns other countries against helping the US.

What did Donald Trump say? In brief

Donald Trump began his address with a promise that during his presidency Iran would never be allowed to have nuclear weapons, and said that none of the American military personnel were harmed during the missile attacks, and military facilities suffered minimal damage: early warning systems worked.

Donald Trump called Iran a sponsor of global terrorism and said the world had long tolerated Iran's destructive policies. Trump described General Qasem Soleimani as a ruthless terrorist who threatened the lives of Americans. According to Trump, Soleimani was responsible for “numerous atrocities”: he cooperated with Hezbollah, killed American military personnel and supported civil wars across the region. Soleimani also organized the attack on the US embassy in Baghdad and was preparing new attacks, so he should have been eliminated long ago. By removing Soleimani, the US sent a clear signal to terrorists.

The US is considering various options for responding to Iranian aggression, and in the meantime will introduce and tighten sanctions against Iran. Last month Iran fired on commercial ships in international waters and also shot down American drones. Iran's hostile actions became possible thanks to the nuclear deal, namely the $150 billion Iran received upon its conclusion. Iranian missiles were financed and supplied by the Barack Obama administration.

There must be peace in the Middle East. There must be less war and violence. Iran can be a wonderful country. Trump asked NATO to become more actively involved in processes in the Middle East, and also called on Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China not to be tolerant of terrorism.

The US president said that the American Armed Forces are stronger today than ever before.

“We have many fast, powerful and deadly missiles. That does not mean we want to use them. We destroyed ISIS and its monster leader who tried to build a caliphate. We destroyed tens of thousands of ISIS fighters. ISIS is an enemy of Iran. Destroying ISIS is good for Iran. We worked together to eliminate ISIS. The US is ready to have peace with anyone who wants peace. Thank you, and may God bless America,” — Donald Trump concluded his address.

The US president's speech can be watched on the 112 channel in the Ukrainian translation.