President Trump recently sought to reassure the nation by declaring the U.S. military’s significant progress in its confrontation with Iran, promising to strike the Islamic Republic with overwhelming force should it continue its pursuit of nuclear weapons. He vowed to “bomb them back to the Stone Ages,” a bold statement that underscores his administration’s hardline stance.

During a 20-minute speech from the White House, Trump emphasized that the military efforts in Iran would not mirror the prolonged conflicts seen in Iraq and Vietnam, which have been criticized as “forever wars.” He assured the public that the operation’s goal is clear-cut and decisive, aimed at preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear threat.

“We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” Trump stated confidently, underscoring the rapid and forceful nature of the planned military actions.

He further asserted that the power of the U.S. military diminishes any potential nuclear intimidation from Tehran, implying that Americans can feel secure against the prospect of “nuclear blackmail.” Trump’s remarks convey a vision of a safer future, free from the threats that have historically plagued the Middle East.

“They were the bully of the Middle East, but they’re the bully no longer,” Trump declared, framing the military strategy as a forward-looking investment in the safety and security of future generations.

He also noted that in ‘these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield.’ 

Trump recalled how the US had spent years fighting in Iraq, Korea, Vietnam and two World Wars before pointing out the conflict with Iran had, so far, only lasted 32 days. 

‘We are in this military operation – so powerful, so brilliant – against one of the most powerful countries, for 32 days, and that country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat,’ he claimed. 

Donald Trump promised an end to the conflict in Iran ‘very shortly’ but not before he bombed the US’ enemies ‘back to the Stone Ages, where they belong’

A plume of smoke rises after a strike in Tehran during the now 32-day war

Trump said US military action had been ‘so powerful, so brilliant’ that ‘one of the most powerful countries’ is ‘really no longer a threat’ — even as Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors early Thursday.

‘Our enemies are losing. And America, as it has been for five years under my presidency, is winning – and now winning bigger than ever before.’

Iran and Hezbollah launched rockets from Lebanon into Central Israel on Wednesday as Passover began and continued the attack into Thursday morning, The Times of Israel reported. 

The bombings forced millions to flee their Seders to hide in bomb shelters and safe rooms.  

Trump also seemed to suggest he had ruled out going into Iran to get its enriched uranium.

‘The nuclear sites that we obliterated with the B-2 bombers have been hit so hard that it would take months to get near the nuclear dust,’ he said. 

‘And we have it under intense satellite surveillance and control. If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we’ll hit them with missiles very hard again.’

The president encouraged countries reliant on oil through the Strait of Hormuz to ‘build some delayed courage’ and go ‘take it.’

The speech left many, including former Trump staffer Brett McGurk, unconvinced that the president had a clear plan to bring the war to a conclusion.

Reaction to the speech saw many unconvinced, including former Trump staffer Brett McGurk, who said he was worried the speech inferred a much longer engagement

‘I thought when he laid out the objectives and the plan, I don’t think we heard too much and my takeaway was that we might be in for an escalation of this war,’ said McGurk, the former Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. 

‘He basically threatened Iran that we’re going to prepare to send you back to the Stone Age. So I think this war is going to continue for some time. I mean, that’s what I heard.’

Conservative pundit Saagar Enjeti compared it to George W Bush’s famous ‘mission accomplished’ speech, calling it: ‘Mission Kinda Sorta Maybe Accomplished!’ 

‘Rambling, unmoored and unserious,’ added Ian Bremmer. ‘In way over his head. US allies deeply concerned.’

Former ABC News anchor Terry Moran said Trump was ‘stuck’ and did not have much information to provide.

‘He said nothing new and very little that was true,’ Moran said. ‘This was an effort to rally the country to his war with promises that it will soon be over and declarations that we’ve already won.’ 

A New York-based think tank said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech suggests he ‘is willing to leave the Strait of Hormuz off the table, leaving other nations to deal with the consequences.’

‘Trump’s message was that the United States can sustain its own economic and energy ecosystem, while countries dependent on regional exports will either have to buy from the United States or manage the Strait themselves,’ the Soufan Center wrote.

Pundits on all sides appeared to hit Trump for the speech

‘While Trump explicitly thanked US allies in the Persian Gulf for their cooperation and allyship, an expedited US withdrawal without securing the Strait will leave many of these countries, whose economies are dependent on energy exports, in the lurch.’

Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war. 

Oil rose more than four percent and Asian stocks fell after Trump’s speech.

Brent crude, the international standard, jumped another 4.9 percent to $106.16 per barrel. Benchmark US crude rose four percent to $104.15 a barrel. 

Trump did not mention a looming deadline he set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for global oil and gas transport, after he threatened Iran earlier with US attacks on its energy infrastructure if the strait was not reopened. 

He did not offer a clear path to end the supply disruptions that have sent energy prices soaring.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was down 1.9 percent to 52,731.94 in early Asia trading on Thursday. South Korea´s Kospi lost 3.6 percent to 5,281.22.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9 percent to 25,056.42, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.5 percent to 3,928.30.

Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war 

Australia´s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.6 percent, while Taiwan´s Taiex was trading 1.1 percent lower.

U.S. futures were down more than 0.9 percent.

‘The market has shown disappointment because the speech President Trump made was far less than what the market expected,’ said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex in Tokyo. ‘There were no concrete details about the end of the hostilities with Iran.’

‘What the market wants is a clear outline for the ceasefire,’ he said.

Trump continued to echo that the rise in oil and gas prices was a worthy sacrifice for taking out Iran. 

‘Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home. The short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers in neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict,’ he said.

He then promised that if they allowed the Iranians to rebuild their nuclear program, things would get much worse.  

‘This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons. They will use them, and they will use them quickly. It would lead to decades of extortion, economic pain, and instability worse than we can ever imagine.’ 

Since the war began on February 28, Trump has offered shifting objectives and repeatedly has said it could be over soon while also threatening to widen the conflict. 

Thousands of additional US troops are currently heading to the Middle East, and speculation abounds about why. Trump has also threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub.

Adding to the confusion is what role Israel — which has been bombing Iran alongside the US — might play in any of these scenarios. 

A North Carolina mother, who is expecting another child, was reportedly attacked while retrieving her child from her car. An alleged repeat offender approached her in a parking lot and stabbed her with a steak knife, according to local authorities.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) has taken Marvina Butler-Hardy into custody in connection with the incident. The attack occurred on March 18 outside a Harris Teeter grocery store in the Cotswold area.

Thankfully, the pregnant woman endured injuries that were not life-threatening, and she is anticipated to recover fully.

Investigators believe this violent incident was likely random, as there is no evidence to suggest that the suspect and the victim were previously acquainted or had any prior interactions.

The accused, Marvina Butler-Hardy, who had been released from prison in April 2025, is alleged to have attacked the 38-year-old victim with a steak knife outside the Charlotte, North Carolina supermarket.

Authorities allege that Butler approached the female victim at the popular grocery chain at approximately 11:30 a.m.

The 38-year-old pregnant woman told WSOC-TV she was getting her toddler out of her car when the woman who pulled out of the space behind her stopped her car, got out, cursed at her, and attacked her with a knife.

“I was facing my toddler, getting him out of his seat, and thankfully turned around, and she was coming at me with a steak knife,” the victim, who asked not to be identified, told the local outlet.

“I pushed and kicked and screamed, and thankfully I think that scared her off,” she said.

The victim was stabbed in the sternum, but she and her unborn child are OK, WSOC-TV reported.

Marvina Butler-Hardy, who was released from prison in April 2025, allegedly attacked the 38-year-old victim with a steak knife outside a Harris Teeter in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)

Following the seemingly random attack, CMPD released surveillance video of the suspect, later identified as Butler, and a “Be On The Lookout” for her vehicle.

On Monday, a Florida State Highway Patrol trooper spotted a silver Hyundai traveling south on I-95.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department requested help locating the suspect’s car – a silver Hyundai.  (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)

The trooper pulled Butler over on I-95 and she gave him an ID card instead of a license and when asked why, she said her license was suspended, WSOC-TV reported. The trooper provided the name of the woman he pulled over to another trooper who confirmed she was the suspect in the Cotswold stabbing.

Butler was arrested on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery on an unborn child. She is being held in the Flagler County Jail until she is extradited to Mecklenburg County.

Repeat offender Marvina Butler-Hardy, accused of stabbing a pregnant woman outside a Charlotte grocery store, was arrested by a Florida trooper on I-95 after a multistate search. (Flagler County Jail)

According to arrest records reviewed by Fox News Digital, Butler has a lengthy criminal history.

Records show she has nine prior convictions — six felonies and three misdemeanors — largely tied to theft-related offenses, along with more recent felony convictions for firearm possession and misconduct while in custody.

She was most recently released from prison in April 2025 and completed post-release supervision in January 2026.

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Renowned for his portrayal of Patrick Jane on the CBS hit series “The Mentalist,” Simon Baker has carved out a distinguished career in acting and directing.

Off-screen, Baker’s romantic life mirrors the excitement of his professional endeavors, showcasing a series of intriguing relationships.

His love life has seen its share of headlines, including dating someone younger than his daughter and rumored associations with a star from “The Real Housewives of Sydney,” adding layers of complexity to his personal narrative.

Recently, the 56-year-old actor ignited speculation of a new romance with his “Scarpetta” co-star, Nicole Kidman, 58. The two were spotted holding hands at the New York premiere of the series, fueling the gossip mills.

This development reportedly left Baker’s ex-wife, Rebecca Rigg, taken aback and puzzled, given her more than four-decade-long friendship with Nicole.

Yet while Simon’s latest ‘romance’ might be turning heads, it is only the surface of a story filled with twists and turns. 

Inside Simon Baker’s colourful love following claims his ex-wife has been left ‘shocked’ by rumours he is ‘enjoying a romance’ with her good friend Nicole Kidman 

After seven years together, Simon and Rebecca Rigg tied the knot and remained together for 22 years before splitting quietly in 2020. They share three children (Pictured: the pair in 2019) 

In 2017, The Real Housewives of Sydney star Melissa Tkautz revealed she had an on-and-off relationship with Simon in 1991.

Speaking to Nova FM’s Fitzy and Wippa, the Read My Lips singer said she gave Simon his big acting break by introducing him to the creator of E Street, who later gave him a small part on the soap series.

The two met on the set of Melissa’s video clip for Read My Lips in 1991, where Simon appears as a greased-up boxer.

The model and the pop singer then saw each other romantically ‘on and off for a year and a half’.

‘I dated Simon,’ she said. ‘I was infatuated with him, he was gorgeous.’

Melissa also claimed to have given the then-struggling actor a leg up in his career, telling Nova she introduced Simon to the creator of popular soap E Street, on which she also starred.

‘I introduced him to Forrest Redlich, and he put him on,’ she revealed to the radio hosts.

Simon went on to marry actress Rebecca in 1998 and achieve breakout international success in US TV series The Guardian and The Mentalist.

Rebecca, 58, and Simon first crossed paths on a blind date in 1991, and brought their romance to the screen as co-stars in the 90s soap E Street.

The actor previously opened up to People about his marriage, explaining why he and Rigg never celebrated their wedding anniversary.

‘We’ve never really been big on it. Anniversaries, they’re an odd thing, aren’t they?’ he said in 2018. 

‘Most of the time, 99 per cent of the time, we’re really great friends.’

After seven years together, they tied the knot and remained together for 22 years before splitting quietly in 2020.

They share three children: Stella, 32, Claude, 27, and Harry, 24. 

They publicly confirmed their divorce in January 2021, telling People: ‘We remain close as friends and our three children will always be the most important focus of our lives.’

But according to Fox News, they actually separated nine months earlier.

Simon also put his family home in the leafy Californian enclave of Santa Monica on the market for for $6.3million.

The Real Housewives of Sydney star Melissa Tkautz revealed she had an on-and-off relationship with Simon in 1991 (pictured in 2025)

The two met on the set of Melissa’s video clip for Read My Lips in 1991, where Simon appears as a greased-up boxer (Simon pictured in the music video)

Following their split, Simon quickly went on to date active-wear designer Laura Gibbs, 41. However, the pair ended up splitting after she attended an anti-vaxx protest 

In 2022, Simon was revealed to be dating a much younger woman, girlfriend Bridgette Clark – who is 25 years his junior (pictured) 

Following their split, Simon quickly went on to date active-wear designer Laura Gibbs, 41.

They first sparked relationship rumours when they were spotted frolicking in the waves of Australia’s Byron Bay together in March 2021.

The pair are said to have met in Byron, where Laura’s sustainable fashion design studio is based near his farm in Nashua.

In November that year, Laura joined hundreds of anti-vaxxers at a rally to protest Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine mandates.

The protest was part of a series of rallies across the country against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for certain industries and occupations.

‘For those that couldn’t attend a gathering in your area I will share some of the speeches from people in our community standing up for everyone’s freedom,’ she wrote next to a video of a heaving crowd of protesters.

Following the protest, a spokesperson for The Mentalist actor told Daily Mail Australia that he and Laura quietly parted ways.

In 2022, Simon was revealed to be dating a much younger woman, girlfriend Bridgette Clark – who is 25 years his junior.

The north Bondi local is a few months younger than Simon’s daughter, Stella, who turned 31 in August 2024.

She originally hails from Melbourne and is a popular fashion and lifestyle photographer.

She is also the co-founder and creative director of Terry, a resort-wear label inspired by ‘European summers and 70s poolside attire’.

The pair dated on and off and were last seen together in June as they moved furniture into Simon’s van at his home in Tamarama in Sydney’s east.

They were thought to have been going strong until romance rumours began to swirl between Simon and Nicole.

Nicole and Simon, who play a married couple in the new Amazon Prime series Scarpetta, were seen holding hands and beaming together earlier this month at the show’s New York premiere.

At the event, Nicole admitted that their chemistry ‘just vibrates’, while Simon, 56, cheekily added: ‘I don’t kiss and tell.’

On Wednesday, the pair fulled dating rumours after sharing a flirty video online.

The Aussie actors were featured in a clip, uploaded by Amazon MGM Studios, with their Scarpetta co-stars Jamie-Lee Curtis and Bobby Cannavale.

Nicole stood very close to Simon, with her hand flirtatiously resting on his shoulder.

When Jamie-Lee made the season two announcement, Nicole let out an excited ‘woo’ and did a little dance, turning to face Simon.

The Mentalist actor then gave Nicole a cheeky smile and a sly raised eyebrow as she continued to express her excitement.

Now, it has been reported that Simon’s ex wife Rebecca, who is a childhood friend of Nicole’s after growing up in the same area of Sydney, is ‘shocked and confused’ about the romance rumours.

‘She loves Nicole like a sister, they’ve been through so much over the years so it’s extremely shocking for her to get her head round this,’ an insider told New Idea.

On Wednesday, Nicole and Simon fulled dating rumours after sharing a flirty video with their Scarpetta co-stars Jamie-Lee Curtis and Bobby Cannavale

Simon’s ex-wife Rebecca, who has been friends with Nicole for 40 years, is said to be ‘shocked and confused’ by the rumours (Rebecca pictured with Nicole and Naomi Watts in 2001)

‘She loves Nicole like a sister, they’ve been through so much over the years so it’s extremely shocking for her to get her head round this,’ an insider said (Nicole and Simon pictured in 2010)

The source added that Rebecca was said to be unhappy that neither Nicole, nor Simon had reached out to her regarding the wild speculation after the pair held hands on the red carpet at their Scarpetta premiere.

‘Rebecca is totally in the dark about Nicole and Simon’s current status. A lot of their mutual friends assume their hand-holding was a cheesy stunt for the show,’ they said.

‘But the way they’re evading questions about their status and then spending all this cosy time together is giving a lot more validity (to the rumours).

‘They (Simon and Rebecca) split many years ago. They’re still co-raising their kids and pride themselves on having a totally transparent relationship. For Nicole to act all coy is really breaking the girl code.’

Nicole is also the godmother of one of Rebecca and Simon’s daughters, The Republic of Sarah actress, Stella.

Meanwhile, Nicole’s ex-husband Keith Urban is said to be devastated by her rumoured romance, given how quickly she appears to be moving on from their separation last year.

‘Seeing Nicole and Simon holding hands was the equivalent of seeing his best mate with his missus, and it did a number on him,’ an insider told this week’s Woman’s Day magazine.

‘He knew it was natural for her to lean on Simon – he was also there for Naomi Watts after her split from Liev [Schreiber].’

The source added that Keith was seriously hoping that Nicole and Simon were just having fun for the cameras, as a genuine romance between them would devastate him.

‘Keith is hoping they’re just hamming it up for headlines. But even then it feels to him like it’s a betrayal because both Nicole and Simon know how much even the hint of a romance between them will hurt him,’ they said.

‘He already suspected they were getting close while filming. This has become his worst nightmare.’