By Manlio Dinucci
Global Research
April 8, 2026
In this episode of Grandangolo shows President Trump receiving special forces personnel at Mar-a-Lago; his face is obscured. These are the men who carried out the attack on Venezuela, which Trump described in his 1 April speech as "swift, lethal, violent and respected by everyone around the world." These same personnel are now engaged in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, which Trump has described as "necessary for the security of America and the free world." Trump clearly explains what constitutes the "free world" in his speech, excerpts of which, translated from the official text, are reproduced here alongside a series of news items ignored by the mainstream political and media establishment.
"It has been just one month since the US Army launched Operation Epic Fury against the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism: Iran. Over these four weeks, our armed forces have achieved swift, decisive and crushing victories on the battlefield. Victories such as few others have ever been seen before. Never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such obvious and devastating losses on such a vast scale within the space of a few weeks. Our enemies are losing, and America, as it has for five years under my presidency, is winning - and is now winning more than ever before. Having rebuilt our armed forces during my first term, we have by far the strongest military in the world.
"I would like to thank our troops for the masterful job they did in conquering Venezuela in a matter of minutes. That attack was swift, lethal, violent and respected by everyone around the world. And now we are working together with Venezuela. We are getting on incredibly well in the production and sale of huge quantities of oil and gas".
"We are now completely independent of the Middle East, yet we are there to lend a hand. We are under no obligation to be there. We don't need their oil. We don't need anything they have. But we are there to help our allies."
"Operation Epic Fury is necessary for the security of America and the free world. From the very first day I announced my presidential campaign in 2015, I vowed that I would never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. This fanatical regime has been shouting "Death to America, death to Israel" for 47 years."
"During my first term in office, I killed General Soleimani. He was a genius of evil, a brilliant individual, a horrible human being. My first choice has always been the diplomatic route, but the regime continued its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons and rejected every attempt at an agreement. For this reason, I ordered an attack on Iran's main nuclear facilities as part of Operation Midnight Hammer. We completely destroyed those nuclear sites. The regime then attempted to rebuild its nuclear programme at a different location, making it clear that it had no intention of abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons."
"In Operation Epic Fury, our objectives are very simple and clear. We have achieved all of these objectives. Their navy has been destroyed. Their air force has been destroyed. Their missiles are almost exhausted or have been neutralised. These actions will cripple the Iranian military, destroy their ability to support allied terrorist groups, and prevent them from building a nuclear bomb. Our armed forces have been extraordinary. From a military perspective, there has never been anything like it. Everyone is talking about it. And tonight, I am pleased to say that these fundamental strategic objectives are nearing completion."
"I would like to thank our allies in the Middle East: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain."
"We have built the strongest economy in history. We are the hottest country in the world, with no inflation, record levels of investment flowing into the United States - over $18 trillion - and the highest stock market ever. Under my leadership, we are the world's leading producer of oil and gas, without even taking into account the millions of barrels we receive from Venezuela. Thanks to my administration's policies, we produce more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined. And this production will soon be substantially higher."
"The United States imports virtually no oil through the Strait of Hormuz and will not import any in the future either. We have never needed it and we do not need it. The countries of the world that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz must take care of that passage. They must take ownership of it and guard it jealously. They could easily do so. We will be available to help them, but it is they who should take the initiative in protecting the oil on which they so desperately depend."
"So, to those countries that are unable to secure fuel - many of whom refuse to take part in the decapitation of Iran - we've had to do it on our own - I have two suggestions. Number 1: buy oil and gas from the United States of America. We have plenty of it. And, number 2, muster up some belated courage. You should have done this sooner. You should have done it with us, as we asked. Take control of the Strait of Hormuz, protect it, use it for yourselves. Iran has essentially been decimated. The hard part is done, so it should be easy."
"We will strike Iran with extreme force over the next two or three weeks. We will send them back to the Stone Age, where they belong. We have been engaged in this military operation against one of the most powerful countries for 32 days. And Iran has been gutted and is, in essence, no longer a threat. This is a real investment in the future of your children and grandchildren."
"Tonight, every American can look forward with hope to the day when we will finally be free from the evil of Iranian aggression and the spectre of nuclear blackmail. Thanks to the measures we have taken, we are on the verge of putting an end to the sinister threat that Iran poses to America and to the world. And I tell you that the world is watching us. And when it is all over, the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous and greater than it has ever been before. May God bless the men and women of the United States Armed Forces; may God bless the United States of America."
Listen to the full speech below.
This article was originally published in Italian on Grandangolo, Byoblu TV. Reprinted from Global Research.
Manlio Dinucci, award-winning author, geopolitical analyst and geographer, Pisa, Italy. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).