President Donald Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York Tuesday morning, with the Iran war prominently in his speech and meetings with world leaders. The U.S. is nearing seven months of war with Iran, which has disrupted oil markets and become a major issue for several of the leaders Trump will meet Tuesday.
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Brent crude is still hovering around $100 a barrel, while governments are also wrestling with how — or whether — to establish global rules for artificial intelligence.
Trump has also scaled back U.S. financial support for the U.N. and repeatedly criticized the organization.
Trump kicked off his speech Tuesday boasting about the United States, saying “America is back.”
“I can report to you with pride that America is back and our country is stronger today than ever before,” Trump said. He touted economic and crime numbers, saying, “Two years ago, our country was dead, and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Then, as expected, he delved into the war in Iran, saying “There is no better example of a danger that was allowed to gather strength at the world’s peril than the number one sponsor of terror: the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He went on to discuss his efforts with the country, saying he opened negotations with Iran when he took office for his second term.
“From the first day I entered the political arena, I’ve been unwavering. I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “Upon taking office last year, I immediately opened negotiations with Iran and offered them full economic cooperation in exchange for ending their nuclear program and support for terror, but they refused. They absolutely refused. That was a big mistake.”
Then, Trump issued a warning.
“I have a big decision to make,” Trump said, adding the country could be rebuilt and become “one of the greatest in the Middle East.”
“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?,” Trump said. “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
Sideline meetings
Iran will also dominate one of Trump’s larger meetings Tuesday.
After his speech, Trump is set to meet with leaders and senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. They’re expected to discuss the way forward in the Iran war and growing concern over recent attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Trump is also expected to hold talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, followed by a bilateral with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The White House says Trump will also hold a more informal meeting with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez.
Meeting with Xi
On Thursday, Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.
Ahead of the meeting, a group of Democratic lawmakers sent Trump a letter Monday urging him to confront Xi over what they allege is Chinese support for Iran during the war.
The lawmakers, all military veterans, cited a recent Wall Street Journal report that said a U.S. assessment found satellite imagery from a Chinese company was used to support an Iranian strike on a U.S. airbase in Jordan in July. Three U.S. soldiers died in that attack.
“Our servicemembers are paying the price in blood for this administration’s pathetic refusal to confront Beijing,” Reps. Pat Ryan, Seth Moulton, Ted Lieu, Chrissy Houlahan, Jason Crow and eight other Democrats wrote in the letter, which they shared with ABC News.
