US President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that he is deciding whether to “annihilate” Iran or make a deal to end the war. His stark declaration underscores Washington's aggressive posture towards Tehran, even as diplomatic contacts continue amid ongoing conflict.
Trump's statement at the UN General Assembly presented a binary choice: “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly” or allow Iran to “rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before.” He questioned whether to “drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations.”
This aggressive rhetoric comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Washington is open to meeting Iranian officials at the United Nations, though no meeting has been scheduled. Rubio maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains the primary US goal, asserting, “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. They just simply can’t.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to address the UN General Assembly, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi already in New York. Despite the US openness to talks, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Hossein Mohebi declared on Tuesday that Tehran had toughened its conditions for ending the war with the US.
Mohebi attributed this hardening of conditions to the collapse of the June MoU, which aimed to end hostilities, stating, “They broke the agreement and committed another vicious act. We have therefore toughened our conditions.” He warned that if the US persists, “they will only make things difficult for themselves,” and that Washington has “no choice” but to accept Iran’s terms.
The IRGC spokesperson also revealed that the US had attempted to contact the IRGC, but these efforts were rebuffed. “The Americans have tried to contact us but we refuse any such contact,” Mohebi told AFP, emphasizing that the IRGC's dealings with a hostile enemy are “conducted solely through arms,” while diplomacy is handled by Iran's foreign ministry.
US Imperial Threats and Diplomacy
Beyond Iran, the US continues its military and diplomatic support for Saudi Arabia in the intensifying conflict against Yemen’s Houthis. Secretary Rubio affirmed Washington's commitment, stating, “We have a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. We intend to live up to our commitments on it. We will.”
This unwavering US backing comes as Saudi Arabia faces a growing campaign by the Houthis, who launched missile and drone attacks against targets in the kingdom. Just three days ago, on Saturday, Saudi Arabia reported intercepting a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, while residents witnessed explosions and smoke near the capital’s airport.
Houthi forces claimed hits on targets in Yanbu, Taif, Baysh, and Farasan, asserting control over key Red Sea coastal territory and advancing toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In response, Saudi Arabia has escalated its airstrikes, seeking increased support from its allies.
Heavy fighting has been reported in Yemen's Taiz, Marib, and al-Jawf regions, involving Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Houthi fighters, with artillery and missile exchanges. Al Jazeera reported intensive air strikes by warplanes on Houthi positions in western Taiz governorate.
The escalation in southern and western Yemen has led to heightened alert levels and increased security deployments, with the west coast particularly affected by rising displacement. Yemeni government forces reportedly shot down several drones, some carrying mortar rounds, indicating the increased use of such weaponry.
Challenging International Law and Sanctions
In a move further demonstrating its disregard for international legal frameworks, President Trump also urged members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to resign, labeling it an “out of control institution” and “an evil group of people.” He declared Washington would “never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show-trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us.”
This condemnation follows the Trump administration's imposition of sanctions on ICC officials after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting US efforts to shield its allies from international accountability.
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Monday that Iranian airlines could be shut out of international travel from tomorrow, Wednesday, as Washington threatens secondary sanctions against foreign companies servicing Iranian carriers. Bessent told CNBC that “all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world” within days under the weight of US sanctions.
China has condemned these “illegal” US sanctions against Iranian airlines. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that China “consistently opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law or authorisation from the UN Security Council.”
Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, however, announced that foreign flights operated by Iranian airlines would continue as scheduled from the beginning of October, with no cancellations reported so far. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf affirmed Iran's resolve, stating that its missiles can “hit anywhere it chooses” and that Tehran would “continue to respond with strength” to the “hybrid conflict” of economic, military, and diplomatic pressure.