'Vile, Horrifying, Evil': Trump Threatens to Bomb Nation of 90 Million People 'Back to the Stone Ages'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered an incoherent primetime address in which he threatened to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages" while also claiming negotiations to end the conflict were ongoing, remarks that provided no clear indication of when or how the illegal war of choice would end.

Trump's speech marked his first major address on the war since the US, in partnership with Israel, started bombing Iran more than a month ago, without congressional approval and in violation of international law. A day after declaring that Iran "doesn’t have to make a deal" to end the war, Trump said during his Wednesday speech, "If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously"—a grave war crime.

In the face of polls showing the Iran War is deeply unpopular with the American public, Trump sought to justify continuing the assault by comparing its duration to that of the two World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War. At the president's direction, thousands of troops are currently heading to the Middle East to join the tens of thousands already there, fueling fears of a ground invasion and a devastating quagmire.

After baselessly claiming Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons, Trump insisted Wednesday night that the country's leadership was "rapidly building a vast stockpile of conventional ballistic missiles" that could soon "reach the American homeland"—an assertion contradicted by US intelligence.

The president also waved away concerns about rising gas prices, which have already cost American drivers billions of dollars collectively. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical route through which roughly 25% of global seaborne oil trade passes each year, will "just open up naturally" once the conflict is over, Trump asserted, adding that "the gas prices will rapidly come back down."

Collin Rees, US campaign manager at the advocacy group Oil Change International, said in a statement that "Trump's rambling lies can't conceal how his reckless, illegal war of aggression is sending energy prices for working families through the roof."

"Trump claims this conflict is different from past wars for oil, but it's playing out with exactly the same deadly patterns," said Rees. "War and volatility push prices higher and fossil fuel companies cash in on windfall profits, while every day people face rising costs for gas, food, and basic necessities. Instead of investing in what people actually need—like childcare, healthcare, and resilient communities—Trump is doubling down on senseless military escalation that serves the interest of his billionaire allies and fossil fuel CEOs."

"More and more people are seeing through this charade," Rees added. "This war isn't about energy security or safety, it's about protecting a system where fossil fuel profits come before people’s lives and livelihoods. The way to escape this cycle of death is to end this war and advance a swift and just transition to renewable energy sources that can break our dependence on volatile, unreliable fossil fuels."

"The human cost of this war is unconscionable. The economic cost is dangerous and growing."

Democratic members of Congress viewed Trump's speech as further confirmation that the president never had a clear objective for the unlawful war—which has killed nearly 2,000 Iranians and displaced millions—and has no serious exit plan, just a vow to bomb Iran "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks."

"Anyone watching that speech has no idea whether Trump is escalating or deescalating the war with Iran," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). "But to be fair, neither does he."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote on social media that Trump "campaigned for the presidency on avoiding foreign wars and lowering costs 'on day one.'"

"His promises are now in tatters," wrote Warren. "The human cost of this war is unconscionable. The economic cost is dangerous and growing. The president should end this war today."

The lone Iranian American Democrat in Congress, Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), condemned Trump's threat to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages, where they belong."

"He’s talking about a country of 90 million people," said Ansari. "Vile, horrifying, evil."