Baba UmarUnited Nations, New York: Before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opened on Tuesday, a UN official moved through the rows of the hall — where diplomats were engaged with informal discussions — ringing a handbell, calling the room to order and turning his gadget into a walking timekeeper for the start of the world's largest diplomatic gathering in New York.
Minutes later, the mood changed.
In what was his final address to the UNGA as secretary general, Antonio Guterres warned that humanity faces "an unprecedented convergence of threats," reserving some of his sharpest language for the world's powerful, fossil fuel industry, war profiteers, and Israel.
Then came Brazilian President Lula da Silva, who thundered that "Brazil is nobody's backyard", evidently taking a dig at US President Donald Trump's "Donroe Doctrine" — a blended word of his first name and the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine to describe his America-first foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.
However, it was President Trump who delivered an ultimatum that froze the hall.
"I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild for a greater country, or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, never giving them a chance?" Trump told the world leaders and diplomats in his UNGA address.
The US president framed the choice as driving Iran "into hell" or making a deal "right after the election."
For observers such as Michael Hanna, the US Program Director at the International Crisis Group, despite Trump's record on peace and security, "he remains keen on boasting about his track record on conflict resolution."
"Jarringly, but expectedly, Trump packaged his boasts about his peacemaking prowess with his by-now familiar, but still shocking, threats to annihilate Iran in the absence of a deal. His prediction of an inevitable deal following the midterm elections in November was characteristically short on details," Hanna told TRT World.
Trump's speech jumped from US military strengths, borders, tourism, and restaurants to missiles, oil, cartels, Greenland, carbon taxes, the International Criminal Court, UNESCO and what he now wants the world to call artificial intelligence — superintelligence.
Lack of new initiatives
However Iran dominated his address.
Trump called Iran the world's No. 1 "sponsor of terror" and said it had ruled by "bloodshed, death and terror" for 51 years. He also claimed that Iranian authorities killed more than 70,000 people in 2026 alone.
A few miles from the UN, he noted, the US had just marked the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001 attacks, linking it with October 7, 2023 blitz in Israel, in which Trump claimed 1,200 civilians were killed, "including babies".
Tehran, Trump said, is waiting to see how he does in the midterms. He added that he is not running away, that he won a "giant landslide," and that he will be in office another two and a half years.
He called for economic isolation until Iran drops its nuclear ambitions and said he is opening 18 massive ammunition plants so missiles and shells can be built and deployed at speed.
According to Hanna of the International Crisis Group, Trump’s speech at the UNGA was notable for the lack of new initiatives or announcements.
"In that sense, those gathered might have breathed a sigh of relief. Instead, what Trump had to offer was a repackaging of familiar themes, some of which were aimed less at those gathered at the UN but to a restive US public, frustrated by the economic impacts of the Iran war," said Hanna, who leads the Crisis Group’s analysis and advocacy on American foreign policy in conflict settings.
Hanna observed that Trump’s prediction of an inevitable deal with Iran following the midterm elections in November was "characteristically short on details."
Gaza and eight wars
Trump touted his truce deal on Gaza while thanking the UN Security Council for endorsing his 20-point plan and formally approving a "Board of Peace."
Since taking office, he told the UNGA, he has settled eight wars that had dragged on for years or decades, using personal relationships, trade, and tariffs.
He listed Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Gaza.
He said the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, wrote that "Trump had saved 30 million lives", and that Azerbaijan called the outcome "an absolute miracle."
In the Western Hemisphere, Trump said hundreds of prisoners have been freed in Venezuela and that Washington is working with an interim government. He announced what he called the largest oil deal in history — 65 billion barrels — that would drive down energy prices. "To the victor belong the spoils," he said.
The Cuban delegation walked out when Trump mentioned the Caribbean country, calling it a failed state that "will fall."
On Greenland, Trump said the US has reached an unprecedented security agreement with Denmark and the people of Greenland. The deal, he said, gives US permanent control of security, with no American adversary permitted on the island.
The UN and 'superintelligence'
Trump cited UN budget cuts, accused the UN of imposing a "far-left agenda," and patted himself for blocking the International Maritime Organization’s first-ever global carbon tax of 10 to 20 percent.
"There is no global government. There will be no global taxes as long as I am president."
He targeted UNESCO, called the International Criminal Court an "evil group of people" and asked other countries to resign from what he called a "rogue" institution.
On technology, Trump said the US rejects any global scheme to control AI, insiting "AI is not fake. It is amazing. We have to be careful."
From now on, he said, official documents should say "super" instead of "artificial."
"Welcome to the new world of superintelligence — SI."
Whoever wins SI, Trump said, wins, adding the shift is bigger than the Industrial Revolution. The US president pledged that his Justice Department will rein in abuses, but added Washington will not restrain the technology, citing rivalry with China.
