TOI Correspondent from Washington: US President Donald Trump issued his starkest warning yet to Iran on Tuesday, saying he faces a choice between reaching a deal with Tehran and “annihilating the Islamic Republic,” while scolding the rest of the world for not confronting it. In the process, he also portrayed American military and economic power as the principal force capable of reshaping a turbulent world.In a 40-minute speech before the United Nations General Assembly that ranged from the Middle East and Ukraine to climate change, artificial intelligence, drug cartels and the future of the UN itself, Trump defended the US-Israeli war against Iran and said he believed Tehran would ultimately agree to a deal after America’s November midterm elections.“I have a big decision to make,” Trump told the assembled leaders, transparently reflecting a quandary. “Will a deal be made with Iran … or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and do it quickly?” He suggested that Iran could instead become “one of the greatest” countries in the Middle East if it agreed to terms acceptable to Washington.“As President of the most extraordinary nation in history, I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day. I do not believe in letting problems fester; they only become harder to solve. So, while others have talked, I have acted. While others have spoken of peace, I have made peace. While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them. While others have talked of courage, America has shown it. While others have promised strength, I have used it to make America the most powerful country in the world,” Trump said.The US President also claimed credit for ending the Gaza war and bringing home all remaining hostages, describing the outcome as a diplomatic achievement and praising the Security Council’s endorsement of his 20-point Gaza peace plan. On Ukraine, however, he offered no new diplomatic solution, saying simply that Washington was working closely with Moscow and Kyiv and that the war, which had pledged to end on “Day One” of his presidency, would be resolved “more quickly than people understand.” The conflict, now in its fifth year, continues despite repeated US mediation efforts.Trump devoted an unexpectedly large portion of his address to artificial intelligence, rechristening the technology “super intelligence” and presenting American dominance in the field as a strategic imperative. On the eve of Chinese President Xi’s visit to Washington this week, he said the United States was “leading now over China by a lot” and argued that he would not restrict a technology he believes could prove more consequential than the Industrial Revolution.At the same time, Trump dismissed warnings about AI’s potential dangers as another manifestation of what he characterised as exaggerated fears. “The same people” who had warned of catastrophic climate consequences, he said, were now warning that AI would kill people and that robots would attack humanity.Climate change received similarly combative treatment, with Trump mocking earlier predictions of imminent climate catastrophe, saying the planet had not “caught fire” and accusing critics of having promoted a “hoax.” His comments contrasted sharply with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ opening address, in which the UN chief called for stronger climate action and warned that the planet is facing accelerating environmental risks, even as disasters around the world claim thousands of lives.Trump also torched the International Criminal Court, urged countries to withdraw from it, criticised what he described as an expanding “globalist” bureaucracy at the UN and touted cuts to the organization’s budget and staff under his administration. The UN itself was attacked by the US President for funding mass migration that, in his view, threatened western civilisation.The address unfolded against a UN gathering explicitly devoted to “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.” Instead, Trump’s message was unmistakably centred on American power: diplomacy where it serves US interests, military force where it sees threats, and technological dominance as the foundation of future geopolitical influence.
