Trump Defends Iran War at UNGA, Envoys Meet Iranian Officials — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump defended his war with Iran in his UN General Assembly address on Tuesday and threatened to 'annihilate' the Islamic Republic if no deal is reached, saying he faces a 'big decision' between a settlement that lets Iran rebuild or rapid military destruction.
- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held an unexpected meeting with Iranian officials on the UNGA sidelines; Trump called it 'a very good meeting' but offered few details, adding that the Iranian representatives were 'not the highest level, but it's something.'
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump is open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian while both are in New York for the General Assembly, telling NBC: 'This is a president that will meet with anybody.'
- Most of Iran's delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump spoke, in which he dismissed the regime as 'weak and desperate' rather than 'strong and confident' and demanded Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- On Greenland, Trump signed a new security agreement with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen and said the U.S. will 'immediately begin' developing a larger military footprint including 'two very major military bases.'
- On Russia, Trump said he got both Moscow and Kyiv to agree not to target each other's energy infrastructure, but acknowledged strikes have continued; he noted he signed a new sanctions bill authorizing up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil and gas but has not yet enacted the penalties.
Why it matters: Trump's dual posture — threatening 'annihilation' while his envoys quietly sat with Iranian officials at UNGA — shows diplomacy and maximum-pressure rhetoric running in parallel. With oil prices elevated after Iran-backed militants attacked a Saudi pipeline and most of Iran's UN delegation walking out, the war's next phase hinges on the 'big decision' Trump has yet to make.
Ask SkimNews
