George W. Bush on Wednesday gave the most detailed and authoritative account of his Iraq strategy in an effort to turn round his domestic fortunes, sapped by mounting criticism of the war.

In an emotional address to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the US president cited progress in building up Iraqi security forces that would allow US troops to shift from nationwide operations to more targeted strikes against “the most dangerous terrorists”. But he once more rejected as “sincerely wrong” calls for a withdrawal timetable.