Trump says he faces choice to make a deal or ‘annihilate’ Iran

Secretary-General António Guterres opens day one of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the U.N. headquarters in Manhattan on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Lexi Parra/The New York Times)

By FARNAZ FASSIHI, ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, DAVID E. SANGER and MARK LANDLER

President Donald Trump told the U.N. General Assembly in New York that he had a decision to make on Iran: to strike a deal with Iran or “annihilate the Islamic Republic.” His threat, amid a defense of the war he launched alongside Israel in February, came as allies have begun to openly question whether the United States remains a credible partner.

Trump, the second world leader to speak at the gathering, used his remarks to celebrate his military operation in Venezuela this year, when the United States expanded access and control over that country’s vast oil reserves. But he saved his strongest words for Iran, saying it was no longer “the bully of the Middle East” even as he raised the prospect of driving it “into hell with no chance of survival.”

“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?”

Trump’s remarks echoed a social media post earlier this year in which he raised the prospect of wiping out Iranian civilization. But it was startling to hear such threats delivered from the U.N. General Assembly podium, where world leaders typically champion peace and global harmony.

Other leaders who spoke on the opening day described the dangers of division and nations acting with impunity. President Emmanuel Macron of France, which traces its alliance with the United States to the American Revolution, condemned a “double standard” in how the world treats the sovereignty of Western countries compared with countries in the Middle East and elsewhere. He argued that the United Nations put the countries on equal footing, and warned of a world characterized by the “law of the jungle.”

Trump, in remarks rife with falsehoods and exaggerations, alternately trumpeted his own power and lashed out at nations and institutions he held up as objects of scorn, including Cuba and the International Criminal Court.

Trump also claimed credit for ending the war in the Gaza Strip, even as a plan to disarm Hamas and withdraw Israeli troops has been stalled for months, and humanitarian conditions there remain dire.

Several speakers harshly criticized Israel. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemned the country as having “a genocidal mindset” and Israel’s delegates left the assembly hall during his remarks. Later, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, later called the situation in Gaza “a genocide in every sense of the word.”

The multiday General Assembly sessions will examine a wide variety of topics, including climate change, threats posed by AI, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and a possible two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians.

Here’s what else to expect:

— Notable speeches: Also among the closely watched speakers Tuesday, the first of three days of speeches by world leaders, was King Abdullah of Jordan. Prime Minister Andy Burnham of Britain was set to speak later in the day. Wednesday’s speakers are scheduled to include President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran.

— Trump meetings: The president’s schedule Tuesday included meetings with leaders including Zelenskyy, Burnham and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan. Trump also signed a security agreement on Greenland’s future and attended a session with Persian Gulf leaders.

— Ukraine: European foreign ministers will also meet to discuss the war and food security before Zelenskyy’s speech Wednesday.

— Middle East: France, Britain and Canada were scheduled to host a meeting on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians, a smaller, more low-key follow-up on last year’s spotlight conference on the issue.

— U.N. leadership search: António Guterres, delivering his final address to the assembled world leaders as U.N. secretary-general, opened the gathering by warning that “the fault lines in our world are widening.” The global body is searching for its next leader, who will take the helm in January. Seven candidates are vying for the role, but no clear front-runner has emerged, diplomats said.

— Absent leaders: A number of world leaders are absent from the General Assembly. One is Xi Jinping, China’s leader, who will travel to Washington later this week to see Trump, and their meeting is expected to overshadow the speeches at the Assembly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa are not attending.