President Donald Trump defended his decision to start a war with Iran in a subdued address before the United Nations and was adamant that a peace deal with Tehran will be brokered after the midterm elections.
With his foreign policy in the spotlight at this year’s U.N. General Assembly in New York, Trump devoted much of his remarks to the seven-month conflict, telling world leaders that he is at an inflection point and could resume strikes.
“I have a big decision to make,” Trump said on Tuesday morning. “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? 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 with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
The remarks offered a window into Trump’s thinking after months of failed diplomacy and then months of strikes meant to degrade Iran’s nuclear program and force Tehran back to the negotiating table. The two countries at one point reached a framework and ceasefire that quickly fell apart, leaving the president to deal with the fallout of the conflict on gas and energy prices back home.
In his speech, Trump expressed hope that another deal with Iran can be struck “right after” November’s elections and claimed that Tehran was waiting to see the outcome.
“It doesn’t make sense for them not to,” the president said of reaching a deal. “They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. What they don’t realize is that I’m not running.”
“The Republican Party is running, and I’ll be helping them. But I am not running,” he added. “I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran. It doesn’t even enter my mind. The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Outside of Trump’s acknowledgment of first lady Melania Trump, that line was one of the only ones during his 40-odd-minute address to receive applause from the chamber.
Policy-wise, Trump also defended his so-called “Donroe doctrine” in the Western Hemisphere, including unilateral military strikes against alleged narcoterrorists in the Caribbean Sea and his extraordinary, middle-of-the-night extradition of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“The United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western Hemisphere,” he said, comparing the region’s cartels to ISIS. “If necessary, we will use our unmatched military might to secure the vital national interests of the United States.”
Trump went on to preview potential action against the Cuban regime, which he accused of spending “decades coordinating with left-wing radicals and Communist networks here in the United States.”
“As our State Department has detailed, they have cultivated ties to subversive and radical groups such as the Communist Party USA, Antifa, and the Dumocrat Socialists of America,” he said.
When his speech turned to Greenland, Trump confirmed that the U.S. will open two new military bases there as part of a deal with Denmark that he signed shortly afterward. The agreement was the culmination of months of threats to annex the Danish territory.
At another point, Trump emphasized there would be no “global taxes” while he is president.
His speech was largely on script and marked a departure from last year’s visit to the U.N., when Trump made regular detours from prepared remarks and chastised the organization for its inaction, using a malfunctioning escalator and teleprompter as a metaphor for the U.N.’s decline.
“For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a strongly worded letter and never follow that letter up,” he said last September. “It’s empty words, and empty words do not solve war. The only thing that solves war is action.”
Twelve months later, Trump appeared to be grappling with the repercussions of his own actions, underscoring his record regarding the economy, immigration, and attempts to restore America’s prestige on the world stage.
“We inherited a dark age of America from the previous administration, and we turned it into the golden age of America,” the president said. “The entire world is being lifted by the wealth, strength, spirit, and momentum of a newly energized and a very powerful United States of America.”
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“While others have talked, I have acted,” he continued. “While others have spoken of peace, I have made it. While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them. While others have talked of courage, America has shown it. While others have promised strength, I have used it to make America the most powerful country in the world.”
Later on Tuesday, Trump has meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. He sat down on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron and has a planned state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.