United Nations: President Donald Trump returned to the UN General Assembly Tuesday at a tumultuous moment for the world – and for his presidency – and made the case that he’s shown fortitude while other leaders have equivocated.
The president started his address ticking off progress – including adding private sector jobs, stemming illegal migration and curbing crime before turning to a fulsome defense of his decision to start a war with Iran.
“The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate,” Trump said. “If we stand united, we will soon see a world free of the last 51 year menace of Iranian terror.”
Trump also accused Iran of stalling to make a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an endgame to the war until after the midterm elections in the United States. He insisted the tactic would have no effect on how he approaches the conflict.
“I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran,” Trump said. “It doesn’t even enter my mind.”
Most of Iran’s delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump railed against the Islamic Republic.
As he arrived at the UN, Trump briefly spoke to reporters, telling them it was an honour to address the world body before his attention suddenly shifted to his resentments with the news media.
Trump over the weekend announced a White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, claiming that their coverage of his presidency was biased. The news outlets have filed a lawsuit to restore their access to White House grounds. Trump snapped at a CNN reporter in the UN scrum.
“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t be here.”
After his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders, Trump is expected to hold talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and a more informal meeting with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez, according to the White House.
He’s also set to meet with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council nations – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates – to discuss the way ahead with the war in Iran and growing concern about recent Iran-backed rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia. Trump also plans to take part in an event on the Shield of Americas, an initiative Trump launched with Latin American countries earlier this year focused on combating violent cartels.
The visit to the UN comes when Trump’s foreign policy approach – particularly his decision to start a war with Iran – has become a drag on his fellow Republicans’ hopes of retaining control of both chambers of Congress during the coming midterm elections. Nevertheless, Trump is making the case in his address that the world is better off for his leadership.
“As president of the most extraordinary nation in history,” Trump said. “I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day. I do not believe in letting problems fester.”
Iran war looms large
In last year’s address at the UN, Trump claimed the US had “demolished” Iran’s nuclear capabilities after he ordered the June 2025 bombardment of three key facilities.
He returned to the General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a new war against Iran that he insists is necessary to address a nuclear threat posed by Iran.
The war has grown more complicated even though strikes by the United States and Israel have killed much of Iran’s top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy, while a US blockade of Iranian oil has left Tehran in economic shambles.
The energy market continues to be spooked by the war and oil prices remain elevated. Saudi Arabia earlier this month shuttered a key pipeline that acted as a relief valve for oil blocked in the Gulf. The kingdom made the move after the pipeline came under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq.
At the same time, territorial grabs by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, another Iranian-backed group, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait has now made it treacherous for oil carriers to use that Red Sea shipping lane.
But Trump insisted anew that the elevated oil prices are a transitory problem that will fade one the war ends.
“Oil prices will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict,” Trump said. “And they were very low in the United States. They were really low.”
Majed al-Ansari, chief spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said Monday that Qatar and other mediators are trying to penetrate a “deep deficit of trust” between the U.S. and Iran and get the sides back to negotiations.
“Either we sign a deal now or sign a deal 10 months away,” said al-Ansari, speaking at the Concordia Annual Summit, a global affairs forum taking place during the UN’s high-level week. “The only difference is the number of dead and destruction that we see.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Trump is open to meeting with Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, while he’s in New York for the General Assembly.
“This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you’re going to solve problems,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Today” show. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to end up agreeing with them, but it’s important.
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