Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran in UN General Assembly Address, Demands Post-Election Deal
- US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Tehran during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September 2026
- Trump accused Iran of deliberately stalling nuclear negotiations until after the November midterm elections
- The US president's approval rating has dropped to 32% amid rising global fuel costs as the Middle East conflict continues
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UNITED STATES — US President Donald Trump used his address at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to issue one of his most direct threats yet to Tehran, framing the future of Iran as a choice between destruction or a negotiated settlement.
Speaking in New York on 22 September 2026, days after the US imposed a visa ban on African officials, Trump told world leaders he is weighing whether to drive Iran into complete ruin or allow it to rebuild, with his decision hinging on the outcome of bilateral talks expected to resume after the 3 November midterm elections.
According to TimesLIVE, Trump defended the ongoing joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran, arguing that the military campaign was designed to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. He maintained that a nuclear-armed Iran is a line his administration will not allow to be crossed under any circumstances.
The president also called on international allies to enforce full economic isolation of Iran, ramping up pressure on global partners gathered at the UN to take a harder line against Tehran.
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Iran accused of stalling negotiations
Trump alleged that Iranian officials are deliberately running out the clock on diplomatic talks, calculating that the US political landscape may shift following the midterm vote. He indicated he expects a resolution to emerge in the immediate aftermath of November's elections.
The address came as Trump opened a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly, with foreign diplomats reportedly lobbying his administration on the Iran issue throughout the session. Domestically, Trump's handling of the conflict has come at a political cost. His approval rating has fallen to 32%, a figure linked in part to rising global fuel prices driven by instability in the region.
View a video of Trump's Iran-related remarks on X:
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In a related article, Briefly News reported on US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III’s refusal to confirm whether white South Africans face targeted killings. The exchange followed growing tensions between Washington and Pretoria over the Trump administration’s Afrikaner resettlement programme.
The ambassador’s repeated refusal to provide a direct yes-or-no answer intensified scrutiny of the United States’ claims about conditions in South Africa. His comments also exposed the widening diplomatic rift after Ronald Lamola condemned the policy as race-based and described it as “Apartheid 2.0.”
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Source: Briefly News
