Trump to address nation at 6:30 AM IST on Operation Epic Fury — White House says objectives being met with “unmatched power and precision”

The White House has confirmed that US President Donald Trump will address the nation tonight at 9 PM ET — 6:30 AM IST on Thursday, April 2 — on Operation Epic Fury, his administration’s ongoing military campaign against Iran. It will be Trump’s first formal address to the nation since the start of the war more than a month ago.

What the White House said

In a readout issued ahead of the speech, the White House stated: “President Trump’s clear and unchanging objectives drive decisive success against the Iranian regime. Tonight, President Donald J. Trump will address the nation on Operation Epic Fury — a decisive campaign of American strength that is systematically dismantling the Iranian regime’s ability to threaten the United States and the free world. Under President Trump’s leadership, the US military is executing this mission with unmatched power and precision.”

The White House laid out four core objectives that have remained the same since the launch of the operation: obliterate Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and production capability, annihilate its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies, and ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.

War is “two weeks ahead of schedule” — Trump
Trump told CBS News on Tuesday that Operation Epic Fury was “two weeks ahead of schedule,” and said “not much” more has to happen before declaring victory, pointing to regime change as a “big factor.” “We want to clean up some ends… We’ve had total regime change. These are different people than anyone has ever heard of before, and frankly they’ve been more reasonable,” he said. 
Trump told reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday: “We’ll be leaving very soon. I would say within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three. We’re hitting them very hard.”

Top officials echo confidence

Vice President Vance said last week: “The Iranian conventional military is effectively destroyed. They don’t have a navy. They don’t have the ability to hit us like they could have even a few weeks ago.” Defence Secretary Hegseth added: “Operation Epic Fury is not an endless war. It’s a decisive campaign with clear objectives to destroy Iran’s offensive military capabilities and ensure they never obtain a nuclear weapon.”

What else Trump may say tonight

Trump told Reuters on Wednesday that he is “absolutely” considering pulling the United States out of NATO, saying allies “haven’t been friends when we needed them,” and plans to voice that frustration during tonight’s address. 
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump claimed on Truth Social that Iran’s president had asked for a ceasefire, though Iran’s foreign minister called the claim “false and baseless.”

Why it matters for Indian markets

Trump’s address lands at 6:30 AM IST — just hours before pre-open activity on Dalal Street. Any signal of a US withdrawal from the war or a path to reopening the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a sharp gap-up in Nifty futures. A hawkish tone or NATO withdrawal announcement, however, could add fresh volatility. Indian traders should stay tuned and factor in potential crude oil price movement before the opening bell.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​