President Donald Trump threatened to annihilate Iran during a United Nations General Assembly address on Tuesday, warning Tehran to reach a peace deal. Hours later, the administration confirmed that U.S. and Iranian officials held a three-hour meeting on the sidelines, marking the first direct contact since the war began in February.
Ultimatums and Walkouts at the United Nations
United States President Donald Trump used his address at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly to defend his decision to start a war with Iran, arguing the conflict has preempted a nuclear threat. Standing before world leaders at the UN headquarters in New York, the president framed the seven-month conflict in stark, binary terms.
“I have a big decision to make. 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?”
President Donald Trump, via Yahoo and Detroitnews
Most of the Iranian delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump railed against the regime, insisting that Tehran was behaving badly because the government is weak and desperate
rather than strong and confident.
Direct Talks on the Sidelines
Despite the fiery rhetoric inside the plenary hall, quiet diplomacy unfolded behind closed doors. Trump later revealed to reporters that U.S. and Iranian officials held a three-hour meeting on the sidelines of the summit, marking the first confirmed direct engagement between the two adversaries since the conflict began in February.
The president initially described the encounter as a very good meeting,
though he offered few immediate details. He subsequently clarified that his chief special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with intermediaries rather than Iranian officials directly, describing the participants as mediators of Iran, merely mediators.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted earlier in the day that Trump remained open to meeting directly with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian while in New York.
Global Economic Fallout and Oil Pressures
The war continues to roil international energy markets and strain global trade routes.
He also accused Tehran of intentionally stalling negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz in hopes that the U.S. midterm elections might alter the political landscape. Dismissing those calculations, Trump noted that his Republican Party faces electoral risks, but emphasized that he is not personally on the ballot and intends to remain in office for two and a half years.
A Whirlwind Diplomatic Schedule
The Iran crisis formed the centerpiece of a broader diplomatic blitz in New York. Trump gathered with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders, including representatives from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, alongside Jordan, to chart a path forward. He also held bilateral talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On a separate front, Trump joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen to sign a new security agreement. The pact provides for an expanded U.S. military footprint on the island, including the construction of two major military bases, while leaving Greenland under Danish territorial sovereignty.
Navigating Unresolved Stakes
The sudden convergence of harsh ultimatums and back-channel talks leaves the immediate trajectory of the war uncertain.