NewzUNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump returned to the U.N. General Assembly on 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 as he defended his decision to start a war with Iran.But Trump also suggested that he could be at a crossroads in the conflict even as he called on the Islamic Republic to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table to find a settlement to end the conflict.“I have a big decision to make,” Trump 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?”The president's comments came in his wide-ranging address to the international body in which he also celebrated this year's U.S. military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, a new agreement to expand the U.S. military presence in Greenland, and pushed back against calls for greater regulation of the artificial intelligence industry.But at the heart of the address was a fulsome defense of the war and pushback on the notion that Iran has shown a measure of resilience.“The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate," Trump said.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.Most of Iran's delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump railed against the Islamic Republic.Trump's speech starts a busy day of diplomacyAfter his speech, Trump gathered with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the General Assembly to sign a new security agreement.The deal, announced last week, came together after Trump repeatedly threatened to “take over” Greenland, a territory of NATO-ally Denmark, by military force if necessary. will immediately begin the process of developing a larger military presence in Gr… "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.
"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 U.N., Trump briefly spoke to reporters, telling them it was an honor 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 U.N.
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 Rodríguez, 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 t…
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