Trump Threatens to Annihilate Iran in U.N. Speech

President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Iran during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. He said he faced a choice between making a deal with the Islamic Republic or obliterating it entirely.

"I have a big decision to make," Trump said from the podium in New York. 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?

A Departure from Diplomatic Norms

The threat, which included a line about being able to "drive them into hell with no chance of survival," marked a jarring departure in a forum dedicated to international peace. Stone-faced diplomats from Iran and other nations listened as the American president spoke. Legal experts have previously stated that such threats of annihilation could amount to war crimes.

Trump's rhetoric at the U.N. Contrasted sharply with pleas from other world leaders for cooperation and an end to Middle Eastern conflicts. He is the second world leader to address this year's assembly.

Linking Threats to U.S. Politics

President Trump suggested that Iranian officials are deliberately dragging out the war that began almost seven months ago with the United States and Israel. He claimed their strategy is to harm Republican prospects in the November midterm elections, where the party is trying to retain control of Congress.

But I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to, Trump stated. They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. This connects his foreign policy stance directly to domestic political calculations.

A Pattern of Bellicose Rhetoric

The president's latest comments echo a social media post he made in April, where he warned Iran that a whole civilization will die tonight. That threat was not carried out. Even by the standards of Trump's often combative language, the direct threat of annihilation at the United Nations was startling. The U.N. Was founded after World War II with the goal of resolving conflicts peacefully.

During his speech, Trump also targeted other nations and institutions, including Cuba and the International Criminal Court, holding them up for scorn while trumpeting his own power. The address alternated between these has and his dire warnings directed at Tehran. The speech concluded without a summary, leaving the stark choice between a deal and annihilation hanging over the assembly hall.