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Trump delivers confrontational UN address, threatens to ‘annihilate’ Iran
At the UN General Assembly, President Trump rejected global AI rules, urged abandoning the ICC, boasted of Venezuelan oil and warned he may ‘annihilate the Islamic Republic.’
US President Donald Trump delivered a forceful and divisive address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, rejecting international constraints and issuing a stark warning about Iran during a speech that contrasted with other leaders’ calls for cooperation and restraint.
Key lines and policy positions
In New York, Trump said the United States will not join global regulation of artificial intelligence and described proposals for international AI rules as a “globalist scheme.” He also urged countries to abandon the International Criminal Court, the body established to prosecute war crimes.
Venezuela and the spoils of victory
Trump boasted of American control over Venezuelan oil following the toppling of that country’s government by US forces and declared,
“to the victor belong the spoils.”
Threat to Iran
Addressing the nearly seven-month war in Iran, Trump said he faced a “big decision” on whether to pursue a deal or
“annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly.”
Reaction and broader UN context
Trump’s remarks followed warnings from outgoing UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who raised the alarm about artificial intelligence and urged against future “killer robots.” Other world leaders used their speeches at the General Assembly to press for different priorities:
- French President Emmanuel Macron called for a recommitment to international law and the UN system.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani warned that the future of the Palestinians was at a crossroads as Israel expands West Bank settlements.
Related diplomatic moves
The United States also signed a security deal with Greenland and Denmark that will allow Washington to build two military bases in Greenland and restrict non-NATO and non-EU countries from certain “strategic sectors.”
Other UN priorities highlighted
Speakers at the General Assembly addressed a range of global crises: Guterres warned of the “specter of ethnic cleansing” tied to settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank; France and Turkey called for pressure and reconstruction in Gaza; and leaders discussed efforts to end the war in Ukraine before winter.
This article is based on reporting by AFP as published on IOL.
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Source: iol.co.za
