UNITED STATES President Donald Trump has threatened to annihilate Iran if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington.
However, he believes an agreement could be reached after the November midterm elections.
Trump made the remarks on Tuesday, September 22, while addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran featured prominently in his speech.
The US president said he faced a choice between reaching an agreement that would allow Iran to rebuild its economy and launching further action against the Islamic Republic.
“I have a big decision to make: 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?”,” Trump told world leaders.
Trump added, “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
Nevertheless, he said he remained hopeful of reaching a deal with Tehran, predicting that negotiations could resume or conclude after the US midterm elections in November.
“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election,” Trump said.
He claimed Iran’s leaders were waiting to see how his political fortunes develop during the midterm elections before making a decision on negotiations.
“They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. What they don’t realise is I’m not running,” he said.
Trump insisted that electoral considerations would not determine his policy towards Iran, saying his primary concern was preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“I gave absolutely no credence, and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran. It doesn’t even enter my mind. The only thing that does is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he vowed.
Trump demands economic isolation
Trump also called on countries worldwide to join the United States in imposing what he described as the “complete economic isolation” of Iran.
He said Tehran should remain isolated until it stops attacks on commercial shipping, abandons its nuclear ambitions and ends what he described as its support for terrorism.
“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,” he added.
Trump also linked the conflict to global energy supplies, saying greater international pressure on Iran could help drive oil prices lower.
His remarks came as Iran signalled that it could be open to negotiations under certain conditions. Reuters reported on Tuesday that a senior Iranian official said Tehran was prepared to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz within a week if Washington eased military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports.
The Iranian delegation is currently in New York for the UN General Assembly, while President Masoud Pezeshkian is also attending the gathering.
Trump defends US military action
During his address, Trump defended the US military campaign against Iran, saying Washington had acted because Tehran had refused earlier offers to negotiate over its nuclear programme and support for armed groups.
“Upon taking office last year, I immediately opened negotiations with Iran and offered them full economic cooperation in exchange for ending their nuclear programme and support for terror. But they refused,” he said.
Trump also referred to the US military operation he called Operation Midnight Hammer, claiming it had destroyed Iran’s nuclear programme.
However, assessments of the extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities have differed.
Trump’s latest remarks come amid a conflict that has lasted almost seven months and has created wider concerns over regional security, commercial shipping and energy supplies.
The US president’s comments also came as Washington and Tehran remained publicly divided over the terms and timing of any potential settlement.
While Trump said he expected a deal after the November election, Iran has separately communicated conditions under which it could consider easing tensions, including measures concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M