President Trump touted America’s actions as world leaders convened Tuesday at the United Nations, as conflicts persist across the globe.
“While others have talked, I have acted. While others have spoken of peace, I have made peace. While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them. While others have talked of courage, America has shown it. While others have promised strength, I have used it to make America the most powerful country in the world,” Trump said.
IRAN
President Trump told the UN General Assembly he had a “big decision to make” whether to reach a deal with Iran or “annihilate” it, as he defended U.S. actions against the regime.
“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 people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” Trump said.
Trump said U.S. officials met with the Iranian delegation for several hours Tuesday. More specifically, Trump said Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with mediators of Iran.
“They've been mediated for a while, but I think there's a lot of momentum for them to make a deal,” Trump said.
Trump to world leaders underscored ensuring Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, and threatened further attacks while meeting with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Those sites have been blown up. We may have to blow up another one, Pickaxe Mountain. That’s, we're not seeing a lot of activity there. But if we do, we'll blow it up immediately,” Trump said.
Trump believes a deal will be made “right after the election” but denied the U.S. midterm election is factoring into his thinking.
ENERGY
The global energy market continues to face pressure.
Diesel reached a new high Tuesday of $6.52, according to AAA.
Trump signaled an openness to tighter restrictions on diesel exports, after some lawmakers have called for an embargo on diesel exports, including Sen. Chuck Grassley.
“I’ve said let's not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel. That could have a little bit of an effect on regular automobile gasoline because when you do that, you know it's a sort of a flow. It's a balance. But no, I've called for it. I've called for it within my people. I've been talking about it,” Trump said.
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent added they’re examining “whether it’s feasible in terms of the overall refining capacity.”
The day prior, a White House official said the administration was not considering an export ban or export restrictions.
Trump has sought to focus on the war between Russia and Ukraine on the issue.
The White House believes energy prices will fall with the end of the conflict with Iran.
“If we stand united, we will soon see a world free of the last 51-year menace of Iranian terror and oil prices will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict,” Trump said.
RELATED STORY | Trump set to address the UN General Assembly, with Iran in focus
UKRAINE
President Trump shared a confident assessment of the ability to reach a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
A peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine has remained elusive for the Trump administration as the war wages on, but Trump said he believes “they’re going to make a deal” as he met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Zelenskyy said the leaders discussed “potential de-escalatory steps that can open up the way to diplomacy.”
Zelensky underscored the importance of a trilateral meeting.
"Any kind of negotiations from Russian side, it will give a signal that, they are ready to move, because I'm not sure that they ready to move," said Zelenskyy.
Ukraine’s leader said he and Trump discussed air defense for the winter, Zelenskyy signaled an openness to an energy ceasefire and also said the two discussed patriot interceptor production.
“We asked the, president to help us to move this quick. He is positive with licenses,” Zelenskyy said.
ARCTIC AGREEMENT
After President Trump set sites on Greenland last year, he alongside leaders from Denmark and Greenland signed a trilateral security agreement.
The deal expands the U.S. military footprint and access in the region, including with two military bases, and requires party agreement on investors from non-NATO or EU members.
“What I am particularly proud of is that this agreement establishes that Greenland must be respected. Our right to self-determination has been respected and, of course, what we have been talking about for a long time: that our territory is inviolable,” said Jans-Frederik Nielson, Greenlandic Prime Minister, according to the Associated Press.
RELATED STORY | UN-backed experts cite possible US war crimes in Iran
WESTERN HEMISPHERE
President Trump also touted the U.S. efforts in the western hemisphere to combat cartels and drug trafficking and exert pressure on Cuba, which he said wasn’t “looking so good.”
“My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they've ever been under. It's an absolutely failed state. It's failing like never before, and it will fail,” Trump said.
Trump noted Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “deep into negotiations with Cuba. Let's see what happens,” the president said.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The president said he would encourage artificial intelligence, rather than rein it in.
The comments come as some industry leaders warn of the technology’s development.
“The United States also totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control for the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much now,” Trump said.
“We're going to keep it very, very straight and very strong. I'm not going to stifle growth of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution,” he said.
Trump also pushed to rename artificial intelligence, ‘super intelligence.’
