US President Donald Trump first threatened to “annihilate” Iran in an address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, but then said US and Iranian officials had met on the sidelines hours later, in what is the first confirmed direct contact between the two sides since the war began in February.
At a tumultuous moment for the world — and for his presidency — Trump lauded his own fortitude compared to other leaders as he defended his decision to start a war with Iran in his speech at the UN headquarters in New York.
Trump then suggested that he could be facing “a big decision” in the ongoing war with Iran as he called on Tehran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table to find a settlement.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world,” Trump 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?” he asked.
Trump further pushed back on the notion that Iran has shown any resilience.
“The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate,” Trump said.
Trump also accused Tehran of stalling to make a deal to fully reopen Hormuz and negotiate an endgame to the war until after the midterm elections in the US. He insisted the tactic would not affect his approach to the war.
Most of Iran’s delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump railed against the Islamic Republic.
Yet after his blustering speech and fulsome defence of the war, the US president told reporters about the meeting between the two sides but offered few details.
“It was a very good meeting,” Trump said.
Venezuela, Ukraine, Yemen
After his speech, Trump gathered with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the General Assembly to sign a new security agreement.
The deal, announced last week, came together after Trump repeatedly threatened to “take over” Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark, by military force if necessary.
Trump said Tuesday the US will immediately begin developing a larger military presence in Greenland, including “building two very major military bases.”
Under the deal, Greenland remains Denmark’s territory.
Trump also held talks with new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The leaders said they discussed migration, the conflict in Iran, the Russia-Ukraine war and more.
Trump also met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and will hold a more informal meeting with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, the White House said.
He’s also scheduled to meet with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia — to discuss the way ahead with the Iran war and growing concern about recent Tehran-backed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Trump also plans to take part in an event on the Shield of Americas, an initiative Trump launched with Latin American countries earlier this year focused on combating violent cartels.
Iran war looms large at General Assembly
Trump returned to the UN General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a new war against Iran that he insists is necessary to address a nuclear threat posed by Tehran.
Nevertheless, Trump argued in his speech that the world was better off under his auspices.
“As president of the most extraordinary nation in history,” Trump said. “I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day. I do not believe in letting problems fester.”
The war has grown more complicated even though strikes by the US and Israel have killed much of Iran’s top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy, while a US blockade of Iranian oil has left Tehran in economic shambles.
The energy market remains spooked by the war, and oil prices spiked further after Saudi Arabia last week shuttered a key pipeline that acted as a relief valve for oil blocked in the Gulf.
The kingdom made the move after the pipeline came under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq while mired in an exchange of fire with Yemen’s Houthis.
At the same time, Houthi territorial advances and their takeover of the Bab el-Mandeb strait have now made it treacherous for oil carriers to use that Red Sea shipping lane.
But Trump insisted anew that the elevated oil prices are a transitory problem that will fade once the war ends.
“Oil prices will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict,” Trump said. “And they were very low in the United States. They were really low.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Trump is open to meeting with Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian while he is in New York for the General Assembly.
“This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you’re going to solve problems,” Rubio told NBC. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to end up agreeing with them, but it’s important.”