Lies, delusions, and spiking oil: US lawmakers blast Trump’s speech on Iran war

American lawmakers have denounced US President Donald Trump’s address to the nation for being a bizarre mixture of delusions and lies about objectives and alleged accomplishments in Washington’s ongoing war of aggression against Iran.

In posts on social media, legislators attacked “delusional” Trump for what he delivered as his first address to the nation on Wednesday night on the illegal war against the Islamic Republic that began late in February.

Speaking during a televised address from the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 1, 2026, Trump's 20-minute primetime speech was - despite some speculation beforehand - largely a rehash of what he has been saying for days about the Iran war.

He claimed the "core strategic objectives" of the US-Israeli military operation were "nearing completion" after a month of aggression and projected it would last another two to three weeks.

The address immediately rattled global markets. As soon as Trump finished speaking, the price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, jumped 5% to 106$ a barrel. Stock markets in Asia also began to slide.

The speech was a copy and paste of his posts on Truth Social over the last week or so and included the usual threats against Iran—including a repeated threat to bomb the country "back to the stone age" and targeting the country's civilian infrastructure such as power plants and oil facilities.

Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari condemned Trump’s threat to bring Iran “back to the stone ages” as a “vile, horrifying, evil” way to talk about a country of 90 million people.

Congressman Jim Himes noted that oil prices had increased $5 a barrel in the hour since Trump’s speech ended, adding, “Going to be a wild night on Truth Social. And I’m still not sure what he said.”

Senator Chris Van Hollen said that the US president lied to the United States when he said “we won” over two weeks ago, stressing that “This delusional man is a danger to our country and the world.”

Congressman Lloyd Doggett emphasized that it was hard to pick the “biggest whopper” from Trump’s speech, adding, however, that his claim that the US had “no inflation” might be the winner.

The president did attempt to persuade Americans of the merits of this war. Polls suggest a consistent majority of voters disapprove of the unprovoked aggression he launched on 28 February.

Chuck Schumer, who leads the Senate Democratic Caucus, wondered whether there “has ever been a more rambling, disjointed, and pathetic presidential war speech.”

“Donald Trump’s actions in Iran will be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in the history of our country, failing to articulate objectives, alienating allies, and ignoring the kitchen table problems Americans are facing,” Schumer stressed.

He also emphasized that Trump “is completely unfit to be Commander-in-Chief and the whole world knows it.”

Ed Markey, a senator representing Massachusetts, condemned the American president for the lies he told and for his threats to commit war crimes in Iran.

“Let's get one thing straight. Donald Trump just spent twenty minutes lying to the American people, threatening to commit war crimes on civilian infrastructure, and pretending you should be grateful that his reckless, illegal war has cost lives abroad and your money at home. Unhinged,” Markey noted.

The United States and the Israeli regime launched their latest bout of unprovoked aggression against the Islamic Republic on February 28.

Iranian Armed Forces have responded with nearly 90 waves of retaliatory strikes, codenamed Operation True Promise 4, launching hundreds of ballistic and hypersonic missiles as well as drone attacks against sensitive and strategic American and Israeli targets throughout the region.

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