President Donald Trump has told the United Nations General Assembly he faces a "big decision" on whether to strike Iran again or pursue a peace deal. A single member of Iran's delegation watched on during the president's speech in New York, in which he said he could "annihilate" the Islamic Republic if the conflict went unresolved. Before a standing-room-only audience, Trump also rejected "global government", vowed to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine and ensure the US wins the artificial intelligence race.
His tone contrasted with remarks earlier by UN Secretary General António Guterres, who warned global divisions were deepening and underscored the "interdependence" of the world's peoples. Trump's speech on Tuesday came on a day of high-level diplomacy at the United Nations. He's meeting more than a dozen world leaders as wars in the Middle East and Ukraine test his foreign policy agenda.
He began by touting his accomplishments on the economy, immigration, the border and tackling violent crime, in remarks that sounded more pitched to voters in November's US midterm elections than the diplomats in Manhattan. He spent much of his address justifying the war with Iran, which has spiked global oil prices while dragging down his approval ratings since the US and Israel launched the military action in February. Trump argued that the conflict had prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and demonstrated the value of what he described as peace through strength - ultimatums rather than deal-making or compromise.
"Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?" he said. "Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell?" Trump said he believed an Iran deal, which has so far eluded him, would come right after November's elections.
The remarks were indicative of his foreign-policy strategy of coercive diplomacy - threatening overwhelming force while keeping negotiations open. Trump later told reporters that American officials had had a "very productive" three-hour meeting with the Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the general assembly. Iran state TV confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had met US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, although there was no comment from officials in Tehran.
The BBC later asked Witkoff how the meeting had gone as he was leaving the UN building and he responded with a thumbs up. In his speech, Trump once again predicted his diplomacy would end Russia's war in Ukraine, which has shown little sign of letting up as the two sides trade tit-for-tat missile and drone strikes deep into each other's territory. "We're working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, and we will get that one done," he said.
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