TRUMP TO DELIVER PRIMETIME ADDRESS ON ELECTIONS AND IRAN

Donald Trump will deliver a live televised address to the nation on Thursday at 9pm Eastern Time. The president has stated the announcement constitutes "really big news" without providing specifics. Officials at the White House have indicated the speech will cover multiple topics, describing it as "a potpourri". Speculation has centred on whether Trump will focus on election security and the conflict with Iran.

Trump has recently emphasised the importance of elections to national governance, telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday that "without free and fair elections, you don't have a country". He has continued to claim his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden resulted from voter fraud, a claim contradicted by election officials and courts. Trump has been pressing for passage of the Save America Act, legislation that would require strict voter identification and which remains stalled in Congress. He has also appointed Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence; Pulte previously led the federal housing finance agency and has no prior intelligence experience.

The address comes after Trump abandoned a ceasefire agreement with Iran last month and resumed military strikes. Those strikes have targeted Iranian interests and aimed at limiting Tehran's influence over the strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed to commercial shipping since 28 February when the war began. This closure has contributed to elevated global energy costs. Trump previously delivered a televised address on Iran on 1 April, one month after the conflict began.