In an evening speech from the White House, Trump broke little new ground on how the war would end and vowed two to three weeks further of "extremely hard" strikes against Iran.

"We are going to finish the job, and we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close," he said in remarks that largely rehashed his daily streams of social-media postings and rapid media interviews.

With his approval rating hitting new lows and Americans feeling a pinch from soaring oil prices, Trump offered a retroactive explanation on why he joined Israel in the attack launched on February 28.

Standing before American flags, Trump delivered the type of speech most presidents would offer at the start of a conflict. Trump on February 28 instead released a video in which he was wearing a baseball cap and no tie.

In his Wednesday address, Trump said the United States was aiming to crush Iran's military, end the clerical state's support for regional armed groups and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear bomb -- a prospect that the UN nuclear watchdog and many observers say was not imminent.

"I'm pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion," Trump said in a 19-minute speech.

Israel on the first day of the conflict killed Iran's longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Trump boasted how "their leaders -- most of them" in the Islamic republic are dead.

But Iran has also responded by taking control over the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway out of the Gulf for one-fifth of the world's oil, which was open before the war.

Gasoline prices in the United States have surged above $4 a gallon (over $1 a liter) for the first time in years, while consumer confidence has weakened, dragging down Trump's already fragile standing on the economy.

Oil prices again surged in early trading Thursday and share prices tumbled, with Trump's speech dashing hopes he would call a quick end to the war.

Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy said: "Anyone watching that speech has no idea whether Trump is escalating or deescalating the war with Iran."

"But to be fair, neither does he so," Murphy wrote on X.

Trump and his advisers have offered shifting explanations and timelines for the conflict. Some allies are pushing the president to assuage growing concerns among Americans, most of whom oppose the conflict and are upset at rising gasoline prices due to disruptions in the global oil supply.

The president briefly addressed those concerns, mainly to say that gasoline prices would soon go down, that it was a worthwhile short-term sacrifice and that it was mainly Iran's fault.

"This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers of neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict," Trump said.

Reflecting widespread sentiment that Trump's comments did not portend a short-term off-ramp, stocks fell, the dollar firmed and oil rose shortly after Trump's comments.

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