Trump at the UN: The U.S. Must Either Reach an Agreement on Iran's Nuclear Program or "Send Them to Hell"

In a 35-minute speech to the UN General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump described himself as a man of action who has made the world a safer place. But at the same time, he left open the possibility of escalating the conflict with Iran, going so far as to threaten to “destroy” it, according to The Wall Street Journal. In the same speech, Trump predicted the imminent fall of Cuba’s communist government and outlined a series of foreign policy deals—regarding Greenland and Venezuela— — which the White House hopes to present to voters ahead of the midterm elections in November.

“While others were talking, I was taking action. While others were talking about peace, I was making peace. While others were ignoring threats, I was standing up to them,” Trump said from the UN podium (quoted in the WSJ). According to the U.S. president, he faces a “big decision,” as the U.S. has two options regarding Iran: to reach an agreement on its nuclear program or to launch a full-scale bombing campaign against the country.

“Should I destroy the Islamic Republic—and do it quickly, without giving it a chance to kill people and destroy countries again? Should I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope for future greatness or future generations?” — The Wall Street Journal quotes the U.S. president as saying.

At the same time, Trump suggested that after the U.S. midterm elections, Tehran would agree to a deal to dismantle its nuclear program and end the war, after which, he said, “oil prices will plummet.” According to the WSJ, the real audience for this part of the speech was American voters, who were weary of the war with Iran, which had caused an energy crisis and driven up gas prices on the eve of the election.

The war between the U.S. and Iran has been going on for nearly seven months, and on the sidelines of the assembly, American and Iranian officials made it clear that they are open to resuming negotiations, the WSJ reports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not rule out a meeting between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian: “The president is open to talking with him or anyone else. But whether that would be useful is harder to say, since the Supreme Leader makes the final decisions in Iran,” the WSJ quoted him as saying in an interview with Fox News.

Trump’s harsh rhetoric toward Tehran is nothing new: as far back as April, he promised to launch an “extremely powerful” strike that would send Iran back to the “Stone Age” if the parties failed to reach an agreement. At that time, Brent crude rose above $105 per barrel. In June, the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that extended the ceasefire for 60 days and laid the groundwork for further negotiations; but by August, the dialogue had reached an impasse, and Washington declared “economic war” on Tehran.

Trump also touched on U.S. relations with a number of other countries. In particular, he reiterated that the Cuban government “will fall,” calling the island “an absolute failure of a state”: “Freedom will come to Cuba,” the WSJ quotes Trump as saying. Following these remarks, the Cuban delegation left the room, the publication notes.

On the same day, Trump signed an agreement to expand the U.S. military and business presence in Greenland—a large Arctic island that is part of Denmark. This was the result of nearly two years of diplomatic pressure on the country and the EU, the WSJ notes. Trump promised that the U.S. would soon build “two very large military bases” on the island.

The U.S. president also mentioned a deal under which the Pentagon will receive a stake in Venezuela’s oil industry. “This may be the biggest deal ever made—the winner takes all,” Trump said, adding that this agreement will lower gas prices for Americans.

In New York, Trump will hold separate meetings with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy and leaders of the Gulf states. The U.S. president reiterated that Russia and Ukraine are close to making peace: “We will see this through to the end,” he said, referring to his efforts to facilitate negotiations leading to the signing of a peace agreement.

On Wednesday, Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day state visit, during which, according to U.S. officials, the two sides will discuss artificial intelligence, rare earth metals, and Taiwan, the WSJ reports.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor