Iran was ‘bully of the Middle East’ — ‘but bully no more’: Trump at UN
US president says Tehran posed a threat that could no longer be allowed to grow
US President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly to portray Iran as the central security threat in the Middle East, calling Tehran the region’s former “bully” and defending his decision to confront it militarily.
“There is no better example of a danger that was allowed to gather strength at the world’s peril than the number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said in New York.
“For 51 years, the fanatical Iranian regime has ruled by bloodshed and mass murder, spreading death and carnage and chaos across the entire Middle East and beyond.”
Get it: Fast, verified news for FREE ... download the Gulf News app — simply click here
“They were the bully of the Middle East, but they are the bully no more,” he said.
Trump made Iran the centrepiece of his foreign-policy argument at the UN, presenting the conflict as the culmination of what he described as decades of failure by previous administrations to prevent Tehran from becoming more powerful.
"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 again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness?"
‘I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon’
Trump reiterated one of his longest-standing positions: that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon.
“From the first day I entered the political arena, I have been unwavering. I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
His argument went beyond Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump also pointed to the country’s ballistic-missile capabilities and its support for armed groups across the region, arguing that allowing those capabilities to expand would have created a greater threat.
The US president has repeatedly framed Iran's nuclear programme as the core reason for confronting Tehran.
In Tuesday's speech, he said Iran had continued developing missiles and drones after earlier US strikes and claimed Tehran was seeking to place its nuclear ambitions behind a conventional missile shield.
From ‘bully’ to military confrontation
Trump presented his policy as a choice between allowing Iran's power to grow and using American military strength to force a change.
He said he had offered Iran opportunities for a diplomatic settlement but that Tehran had refused.
Trump subsequently defended the US military campaign against Iran and claimed American strikes had severely damaged its nuclear programme.
Independent reporting has noted that Iran retains nuclear-related infrastructure and stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, complicating claims that its nuclear capability has been completely eliminated.
Trump also issued his starkest warning yet that the conflict could escalate further.
At the same time, he said he believed Washington and Tehran would ultimately reach an agreement, potentially after the US midterm elections.
Trump's description of Iran as the region's “bully” reflects Washington's long-standing accusations that Tehran supports armed groups and projects power through a network of regional partners.
The conflict has also become inseparable from the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil and gas chokepoint linking the Gulf with global markets.
Trump told the UN that the US Navy had recently escorted more than one billion barrels of oil through the waterway, while calling on Iran to reopen the strait and return to negotiations.
The stakes extend well beyond Iran. Any prolonged disruption around Hormuz can affect crude exports from Gulf producers, shipping costs, insurance premiums and energy prices worldwide.
Iran faces pressure — but diplomacy remains possible
Despite the confrontational language, Trump's UN speech also contained an opening for negotiations.
He said he believed the US and Iran would “get it done — one way or the other”, while indicating that a diplomatic agreement remained possible.
Later, Trump said talks with Iranian officials had lasted about three hours and described the meeting as “very good”, adding that another meeting was expected.
That leaves the central question of the conflict unresolved: whether Trump's military pressure will ultimately produce a negotiated settlement or lead to further escalation.
