Trump will deliver an important speech on Iran at 9 o'clock, and he still hasn't forgotten to throw a "smoke screen."

According to the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver a nationwide address at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on April 1 (9:00 AM Beijing Time on April 2) regarding the Iran issue, with “important updates.” Everyone is watching closely to see what signals Trump will send in this speech.

Before that, however, Trump has repeatedly commented on the progress of the U.S.-Iran conflict and on the talks, which some observers have jokingly called “smoke bombs” ahead of the speech. Based on media reports such as those from CCTV News, on Wednesday (the 1st) local time, Trump said, the United States will “pretty quickly” end its military operations against Iran, but if necessary, it may continue to attack Iran in a “targeted strike” way.

Trump also said that U.S. military actions have made it “impossible” for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and added that after withdrawing, if the situation changes, the United States may still re-engage.

That day, he also posted on the social media platform Truth Social, saying, Iran had “just asked the United States for a ceasefire,” but he added that he would only consider a ceasefire if the Strait of Hormuz remained open.

“Before this, we will pulverize Iran, or—using their words—send them back to the Stone Age.” he wrote.

Other sources said that Trump has instructed Vice President Vance to privately convey a message to Iran: as long as “specific requirements,” such as reopening the Strait of Hormuz, are met, he is open to a ceasefire.

This latest set of statements also differs sharply from earlier this week: according to a U.S. official who disclosed on Monday, Trump told his aides that even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, he is still willing to end military operations against Iran.

It is reported that U.S. government officials assess that forcing the waterway back open would push military operations beyond the originally planned 4- to 6-week timeframe. Based on that, Trump decided to gradually end the current military operations after achieving key goals such as weakening Iran’s naval forces and its missile capabilities.

As for Trump’s latest remarks, Iran has once again responded firmly. On the 1st, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that President Trump’s claims about Iran’s request for a ceasefire are false and without any basis.

On the same day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also issued a statement saying that its navy had carried out strikes on multiple targets, and that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is under its “complete control.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader’s office, meanwhile, also posted on social media excerpts of the Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei’s first remarks, reiterating that it will continue to use the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a countermeasure.

Iran’s Supreme Leader’s office further posted excerpts from the speech saying that Iran is studying the opening of “other potential fronts,” and that it believes the adversary lacks “experience and has clear weaknesses” in the relevant areas. If the fighting continues, “these fronts will be launched,” after conducting a comprehensive consideration of the relevant factors.

In addition, sources from Iran said that for ceasefire negotiations between Iran and the United States, Iran’s demands must be based on ensuring that the war ends permanently.

（Source: Caixin Global）