Trump threatens at UN meeting to 'annihilate' Iran, then announces a resumption of dialogue
· L'Orient TodayUS President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that dialogue with Tehran had resumed, saying he expected another discussion with Iran “in the very near future” — just hours after threatening to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic during his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Reuters reported.
“I have a big decision to make: Will there be a deal with Iran?” Trump declared before the UN General Assembly. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic? Do I send them to hell?” he added. “I hope they will make the right decisions before it is too late.”
Trump made the remarks as he addressed the escalating conflict with Iran and the possibility of reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route that has been largely closed during the war.
He later said he believed an agreement was possible after the US midterm elections in November, when Republicans risk losing control of Congress. Rising fuel prices linked to the war have added to political pressure on the administration.
During a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump revealed that dialogue between Tehran and Washington had resumed. “It was a meeting that lasted three hours,” Trump said, describing it as a “very good” meeting and saying another discussion was planned “in the very near future.”
The talks had been suspended since June following the failure of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides. The Washington Post reported that while Trump has publicly signaled that he is comfortable with the war continuing through the November midterms, US officials have privately said that ending the conflict is a top priority for the White House.
'I make peace'
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday evening that Washington had held “lengthy discussions with the Iranian delegation through the mediators” on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
“These mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day, conducted a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising,” Witkoff said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, Witkoff said he felt “very good” about the discussions. He held the talks with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi participated on the Iranian side, according to Iranian state television IRIB.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the meeting between Iranian and US representatives was held through Qatari mediation, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.
“The interaction that took place was through Qatari mediation. In fact, the Iranian delegation conveyed its views and conditions to the American side very clearly and explicitly through the mediators,” Baqaei told IRNA late Tuesday in New York.
According to Baqaei, Iran's conditions for resuming diplomacy include an end to fighting on all fronts, a halt to what Tehran describes as US acts of aggression, an end to the US naval blockade and economic war against Iran, and the release of Iranian assets.
He said Iran had also conveyed its conditions for diplomacy in recent weeks, including its position on the security of the Strait of Hormuz. “Today, the presence of our delegation in New York provided an opportunity to clearly convey these points to the American side,” Baqaei said.
According to IRIB, Araghchi told Witkoff that Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz included “the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade, the swift release of all frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war on all fronts,” particularly in Lebanon.
Iran has separately indicated that it could reopen the strategic waterway if Washington eases military pressure and lifts its blockade of Iranian ports. The meeting between Iranian and US representatives took place Tuesday on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump's time at the UN, where he contrasted multilateralism with an unabashed “America First” stance, was marked by promises of peace as well as bellicose pronouncements. “When others talk about peace, I make peace,” the Republican leader declared, even as the war has become a source of political pressure ahead of the US midterm elections.
He also praised the military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in early January, as well as the access gained by the United States to Venezuela's oil reserves following recent agreements with Caracas.
“The victor takes the spoils,” Trump commented shortly before an informal evening meeting with Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez. Trump also threatened to use “military power” to defend Washington's influence in South America and predicted that Cuba would “fall.”
Cuban representatives walked out of the room during his speech, as did the Iranian delegation. The American president later adopted a more conciliatory tone, asserting that an agreement between Russia and Ukraine was “closer than we think,” without providing further details. He also signed an agreement with Denmark and Greenland on the security of the vast Arctic territory, which he presented as a resounding victory for the United States. The agreement remains far removed from Trump's earlier desire to annex Greenland, a demand that had deeply shaken European allies.
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