Nathan Hager

And I'm Alexis Christophorus.

Here are the stories we're following today.

Alexis, we begin with a major speech from President Donald Trump as the U.S.

war with Iran nears the end of the five-week mark.

In a primetime address heard live on Bloomberg Radio, the president defended his decision to go after Tehran's nuclear and missile programs more than a month ago.

The president said the action he's taken is close to achieving that objective.

But before that, he says there will need to be more action.

At the same time, President Trump says discussions with Iran's regime are ongoing, but he did not lay out a plan to convince Tehran to allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The president had this to say to allies struggling to get fuel through the Strait.

President Trump also said the loss of 13 U.S.

service members in the conflict has only stiffened his resolve to finish the job.

And the speech is getting an anxious reaction in markets and in Washington, D.C.

Bloomberg White House correspondent Jeff Mason says it's the kind of address presidents typically give at the start of a conflict.

And Bloomberg This Weekend co-host Christina Ruffini says the president may have been sending a warning to allies as much as Iran.

All those GCC countries, all those Gulf allies, all the Asian countries that depend heavily on oil coming through that strait, some of them who thought they had very close ties to the United States, are going to be in trouble if the U.S.

is not there to finish the job.

And that's going to fall to some sort of coalition of other nations.

And you can catch Bloomberg this weekend every Saturday and Sunday at 7 a.m.

Eastern on Bloomberg Radio and Television and the Bloomberg Business app.

And as the war enters its second month, Alexis, reports from Iranian state media and residents indicate continuing attacks on civilian infrastructure, including homes, factories and electric facilities.