US President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that he faced a stark choice over Iran: reach a deal that could allow the country to rebuild, or “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if it fails to make a deal to end the Middle East war.
“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?” Trump said.
“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
Trump also said he believed an agreement could be reached before US midterm elections in November, in which Republicans risk losing control of Congress amid concerns including high fuel prices linked to the war.
“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” he said. “They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. What they don’t realize is that I’m not running. I did that already, and won in a landslide.”
Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Pool/Getty Images/AFP
