Rubio says 'powerful' Trump speech outlined US goals in Iran

President Trump warns the US could hit all of Iran’s electricity plants and even hints at strikes against the country's oil industry if no agreement is reached between Washington and Tehran.

"If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants, very hard, and probably simultaneously," he said.

"We have not hit their oil, even though that's the easiest target of all, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. But we could hit it and it would be gone, and there's not a thing they could do about it."

Trump also said regime change was never the United States' objective in Iran.

"Regime change was not our goal. We never said regime change, but regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders' death," he said.

"I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly, very shortly," Trump added.

But he also warned that strikes will carry on for a few weeks.

"We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks, we're going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong."

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia say their air defence systems have intercepted Iranian missiles and drones.

The UAE defence ministry said its air defences are “currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran,” adding that the sounds heard in the sky were the result of interceptions by defence systems.

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile headed toward the kingdom’s Eastern Province.

US President Donald Trump’s objectives in the campaign against the Iranian regime remain “clear and unchanging” while driving decisive progress, the White House said on Wednesday.

Trump will address the nation on Wednesday night 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," according to the White House.

In a statement, the White House said the operation aimed to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and production capacity, weaken its naval forces, cut support for allied groups, and prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

It said the campaign was being carried out with “unmatched power and precision” under Trump’s leadership.

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran would not stop the war until it secures what he described as its rights and deters its enemies.

“Until we make the enemy regret and obtain our definite rights, we will not let it go,” the former Revolutionary Guards commander said.

He added that the end of the war depended on the supreme leader and the Iranian people and warned the United States against assuming it could act and then leave the region without consequences.

Rezaei also questioned the idea of negotiations or a ceasefire, saying: “What does it mean to talk about negotiations and a ceasefire in these conditions?”

Claims about the residency status of the Iranian community in the United Arab Emirates are inaccurate, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, adding that Iranian residents remain a respected part of the country’s diverse social fabric.

“In light of what has been circulated of inaccurate media claims regarding the residency status of the Iranian community, the United Arab Emirates reassures residents that its institutional approach is based on solid foundations of approved procedures and frameworks,” the ministry said.

“These ensure the safety and well-being of all members of society, without exception,” it added.

The ministry said the UAE would continue to strengthen “a safe and stable environment based on the rule of law,” ensuring “the protection of the rights of all residents” and reflecting its “established values of tolerance and coexistence.”