Trump tells U.N. he could ‘annihilate’ Iran but expects a deal after the midterm elections
President Donald Trump said in a speech to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly that he was considering whether to “annihilate” Iran and drive the country “into hell.”
Or, he said, Iran could make a deal with the U.S. that would allow the nation to rebuild. But that won’t happen until after the midterm elections in November, Trump predicted.
“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” Trump said. “They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election.”
Trump has publicly floated renewed attacks on Iran, even previously threatening death to the entire civilization. On Tuesday, he revived that warning at one of the most prominent platforms for world leaders, with an Iranian delegation in the audience.
“I have a big decision to make,” he said. “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?”
“Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” he continued.
Most important, Trump said to applause, is ensuring that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Iran’s nuclear potential was “the reality we had to confront,” he argued, and “a reality that far too many preferred to ignore.”
Trump also highlighted peace deals he has worked on, U.S. actions in the Western Hemisphere and progress on Trump’s 20-point peace plan in Gaza.
Trump’s remarks to the assembly this year come as the U.N.’s Human Rights Council found in a report last week “reasonable grounds to believe” that the U.S. had committed war crimes during “indiscriminate attacks” against an Iranian school and a residential area in February.
The American president traditionally addresses the General Assembly each year.
In 2025, Trump spoke for almost an hour, criticizing climate change and European immigration policies. But what grabbed headlines were mishaps before and during his appearance at the U.N., as the escalator carrying Trump and first lady Melania Trump abruptly stopped and then the teleprompter with Trump’s speech broke early on in his remarks and he was forced to improvise.
Trump at the time blamed the world body, insinuating intentional sabotage to humiliate him, while U.N. officials said the White House’s videographer “may have inadvertently triggered the safety function” on the escalator.
Trump is expected to meet with several world leaders this week on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering, including Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. It will be Rodríguez’s first meeting with Trump since the U.S. captured then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial.
Trump is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has said the meeting “could change a lot,” adding that there “is diplomatic momentum” in a push for an energy truce with the Kremlin.
Last week, Trump signed into law a Russian sanctions bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
He also announced that the U.S. would take over military operations and have “permanent control over security” in Greenland, in a deal expected to be signed Tuesday with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark to try and end the tense standoff over the strategic Arctic territory.
The U.N. assembly comes as the Iran war is about to enter its eighth month. Trump is expected to meet with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday. Senior U.S. officials said Iran will be a key topic of conversation at the assembly this year.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the U.N. on Wednesday. Trump told Fox News that he would “probably” be open to meeting with Pezeshkian, but did not announce any specifics.
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