President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to deliver a stark warning to Iran, saying he must soon decide between striking the country again or brokering a peace agreement. A lone Iranian delegate looked on as Trump warned he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if the standoff isn’t resolved, while also floating the possibility that a deal could let Tehran “rebuild” into a stronger nation.
The speech, delivered before a packed hall, doubled as a defense of the military campaign the US and Israel launched against Iran back in February, which has pushed up global oil prices and dented Trump’s approval numbers at home. He framed the strikes as proof that his “peace through strength” approach — favoring ultimatums over negotiation — had stopped Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s combative tone stood in contrast to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who spoke earlier about deepening global divisions and the need for international cooperation. Despite the harsh rhetoric, Trump later told reporters that US officials held a “very productive” three-hour meeting with Iranian representatives on the sidelines of the summit, and predicted a deal could come after November’s US midterm elections.
The president also touched on Ukraine, promising a swift resolution to the war with Russia, and pushed back on fears about artificial intelligence, insisting the US would keep its technological edge over China. He separately signed an agreement with Denmark to expand the US military footprint in Greenland.
Read the original report from the BBC for the full story.
Source: Trump tells UN he has 'big decision' on whether to 'annihilate' Iran or make peace deal (feeds.bbci.co.uk).
Image: NatalieTracy, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).