Donald Trump’s speech on Tuesday to the United Nations general assembly was an object lesson in his lawless rule and remarkable capacity for self-delusion. Disregarding the UN charter’s emphasis on the peaceful resolution of disputes, he doubled down on his violent unilateralism while denigrating the global issues that the UN is designed to address.
For many, the headline remark was his musing about whether to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” of Iran. “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
But it was probably less a genuine threat than a clumsy effort to influence negotiations where he has little leverage. Trump is in desperate quest of some face-saving gesture that will allow him to feign “victory” and extract himself from his disastrous war of choice.
He spoke of destroying the “Islamic Republic”, which might imply the Iranian military, a legitimate military target. But his reference to precluding future generations suggests he meant to threaten the Iranian people. Attacking them would be a blatant war crime. » | Kenneth Roth | Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Iran’s president hits out at ‘bully’ Trump in UN speech but signals willingness to talk: Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran is ready for dialogue and diplomacy ‘but without the language of force’ »