US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was facing a choice over whether to pursue a deal with Iran or drive it “into hell”, while suggesting Tehran might reach an agreement after the US midterm elections on November 3.
In his second address to the UN General Assembly since returning to office last year, Mr Trump also said Cuba's communist government “will fall” and he claimed the US is “leading in virtually everything”.
Much of his address focused on the Middle East, particularly as he threatened to launch further military action against Iran.
“Do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” Mr Trump said. “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival?”
He said he believed an agreement remained possible, but that Iran was stalling until after the midterm elections. “We'll make a deal right after the election because it doesn't make sense for them not to,” he said.
The President reiterated that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and said Tehran had rejected previous US offers of economic co-operation in exchange for ending its nuclear programme and support for militant groups.
After his address, Mr Trump told reporters that US and Iranian officials had held a three-hour meeting on Tuesday morning.
"It was a very good meeting," he said, adding that he couldn't imagine why Iran wouldn't want to make a deal. "It's potential greatness or obliteration."
During his 37-minute speech, Mr Trump defended US military operations against Iran, repeating his claims that Operation Midnight Hammer had “obliterated” Tehran's nuclear programme last June. He also said Operation Epic Fury this year had destroyed much of Iran's navy, air force, air defences, and missile and drone production capacity.
He accused Iran of violating a ceasefire with attacks on commercial shipping and thanked the UN Security Council for adopting a resolution condemning Iranian attacks on civilian vessels.
“I have a big decision to make,” Mr Trump told member states, asking whether Iran would instead agree to a deal that could allow it to rebuild and become “one of the greatest” countries in the Middle East.
Midterm pressure
The Iran conflict has become something of an albatross for Mr Trump ahead of the crucial midterm elections, with his approval rating sagging to new lows as Americans pay more for fuel and groceries because of the war.
He said the midterms do not “even enter my mind” as he chooses what to do with Iran. “The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
A potential new front is opening up in the conflict following rapid gains by the Houthis in Yemen, which could threaten shipping through the Bab Al Mandeb strait.
Mr Trump's return to New York for UNGA comes as the UN faces sprawling challenges, including budget shortfalls from unpaid member fees, as well as attacks by his administration on various agencies, including UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The President also condemned the International Criminal Court and said Washington “will never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us. We're an evil group of people.”
He called on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially pull out of “this rogue institution immediately”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously vowed to demolish the ICC “brick by brick”.
Much of the rest of Mr Trump’s speech focused on what he described as his administration’s successes and the strength of the US, which he called the “most powerful country in the world”.
He warned that Washington was prepared to use its military power to defend US interests in Latin America and predicted Cuba’s communist government would soon collapse.
Mr Trump also celebrated an agreement with Greenland that he said would allow the US to build two military bases in the Arctic territory. He signed the deal with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland on the sidelines of the UN gathering.
