|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Trump defended his Iran policy at the U.N. Tuesday. He warned Tehran faces escalation without a negotiated settlement.
U.S. President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to defend the U.S. military campaign against Iran and outline his administration’s broader foreign policy priorities. The speech came as world leaders gathered in New York for the high-level week of the 81st General Assembly, with the wars involving Iran and Ukraine among the central international issues.
Trump argued that U.S. military action had prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and said Washington remained open to a negotiated settlement. He warned that the United States could take further military action if an agreement is not reached, while predicting that a deal with Iran could be achieved after the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 3. Reuters reported that Trump also called on other countries to economically isolate Iran as part of efforts to pressure Tehran into negotiations.
Iran has remained a central issue at the General Assembly as the conflict has contributed to wider regional instability and disruption to energy markets. The U.S. campaign against Iran has also drawn international scrutiny, with Reuters reporting that a United Nations fact-finding mission recently said it had reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces committed war crimes in two strikes on Iran. The finding has been disputed by the United States, which has rejected international legal oversight of its military personnel.
Trump also addressed Russia’s war against Ukraine, saying the United States was working with both Moscow and Kyiv and expressing confidence that diplomatic efforts could produce an agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet Trump during the General Assembly week, with the conflict and possible measures to reduce attacks on energy infrastructure among the issues expected to feature in their discussions.
Artificial intelligence was another major subject in Trump’s speech. He said the United States should continue developing the technology rather than impose restrictions that could slow its growth, ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence and international security scheduled for Wednesday. His comments came as governments and technology companies debate the potential economic, security and social effects of increasingly capable AI systems.
Trump also criticized international institutions, including the International Criminal Court, while defending his administration’s efforts to reduce U.S. involvement and spending within parts of the international system. The remarks came as diplomats attending the General Assembly confront disagreements over international law, armed conflicts, economic instability and the role of multilateral institutions. AP described the broader gathering as taking place amid significant turmoil, including conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, climate-related disasters and strains on international cooperation.
Sources: Information attributed to Associated Press, Reuters and CNN, with additional context from the United Nations and other sources provided in the research.