UNITED NATIONS: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran faced a choice between reaching a deal with Washington or facing further military action, while calling on countries to join the US economic pressure campaign against Tehran.
Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Trump said he believed Iran would eventually agree to a deal after the US midterm elections, claiming that Tehran was waiting to see the outcome of the election. He said the agreement would allow Iran to rebuild its economy while addressing its nuclear programme and other US concerns.
“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 … or do I annihilate the Islamic republic, and do it quickly?” Trump said.
“Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations? But I believe we’ll make a deal after the election, because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” he claimed.
“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,” Trump said in his address to the UN General Assembly. “The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
President Trump says he believes the U.S. will reach a deal with Iran after the midterm elections, claiming Iran is “waiting to see how I do in the midterm election.”
“I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran. It doesn’t even… pic.twitter.com/qArJ5pxqbq
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 22, 2026
Trump said he had remained committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and accused Tehran of refusing previous US offers to end its nuclear programme. He also said Iran had expanded its missile and drone capabilities following US-Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities.
Also Read: US Open to Meeting Iran at UN, No Meeting Scheduled Yet: Rubio
The US president urged countries to join Washington in applying economic pressure on Iran until it stops attacks on commercial shipping, abandons its nuclear ambitions and ends what he described as its support for terrorism.
Trump hails Pakistan PM Sharif as ‘great leader’
Trump also referred to the conflict between Pakistan and India in May 2025, saying he had helped halt eight wars around the world, including the fighting between Pakistan and India.
The US President described Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as a “great leader” and credited him with the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, saying the agreement had helped save millions of lives. “The Prime Minister of Pakistan, terrific man,” Trump said.
Trump says Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif is ‘a terrific man’ pic.twitter.com/73iihZ4IDY
— Pakistan TV Digital (@PakistanTVcom) September 22, 2026
Trump’s remarks came as Pakistan continues diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran. Pakistan had hosted high-level direct US-Iran talks in Islamabad in April and helped broker the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June, which provides a framework for negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in New York to attend the 81st UN General Assembly and is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 25, where he will outline Pakistan’s position on regional and global developments and highlight its diplomatic efforts to promote de-escalation and dialogue.
Trump says Russia-Ukraine deal will happen ‘quickly’
Trump told the UN General Assembly that a deal between Russia and Ukraine to end Moscow’s invasion was possible in the near future.
“We’re working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, and we will get that one done. It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand. They’ve had it,” Trump said in a speech.
Trump calls for all countries to quit ICC
President Trump called for all nations that are part of the International Criminal Court to quit the body, calling it “out of control.”
“The United States is equally opposed to the out-of-control institution known as the International Criminal Court,” he said at the United Nations.
“I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately,” he added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick,” describing the court as an “intolerable threat to US sovereignty.”
Washington has imposed a series of sanctions on ICC officials, furious at the court’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a close US ally.
On Tuesday, Trump said Washington would “never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show-trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us.”
The United States is not an ICC member and has never ratified the Rome Statute that established the court. Israel, Russia and China are also not members.
