Trump talks peace, threatens annihilation of Iran in UNGA speech
Por Gregory Svirnovskiy — War in Ukraine – POLITICO
President Donald Trump struck a contradictory tone on Iran during his address before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, calling himself a peacemaker while also warning of his willingness to “annihilate” the country. He added that the upcoming midterm elections would not influence his decision-making around the war in Iran.
“I have a big decision to make,” he said. “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?”
The speech mirrored the president’s approach to foreign policy throughout his second term. It has included attempts to settle Russia’s war in Ukraine and an ill-fated push for the Nobel Peace Prize, but also multiple attacks on Tehran, the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his bedroom in Caracas and dozens of strikes on boats carrying alleged narco-terrorists in the Caribbean.
On Tuesday, the president repeated the claim that he had, by his count, ended eight wars since returning to the White House, but also indicated that he was weighing driving Iran “into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness for generations.” The president’s claim of ending eight wars is dubious; some of the conflicts he claims to have solved have resumed, and his role in negotiations to end others has been contested.
The now-seven-month war against Iran has shown few signs of slowing down. Gas prices remain stubbornly high, which the White House has blamed on Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in Europe. Meanwhile, Houthi advances in Yemen and attacks on Saudi Arabian infrastructure could widen the scope of conflict in the Middle East.
Trump’s approval rating on foreign policy hit its lowest point ever this month, according to a CNN poll released Tuesday, with the war in Iran driving the downturn. Two Republican Senate candidates, Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa and Mike Rogers of Michigan, both called for the war to end in high-profile defections on Monday.
The midterms, the president said in his speech, will have no effect on his continued efforts to ensure that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon, even if Republicans suffer crippling defeats in the House and Senate.
“I am not running,” he said. “I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran. It doesn’t even enter my mind. The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
But Trump insisted that his mantra of peace through strength is making the world a safer place — even as wars rage and a skeptical public looks likely to punish his party at the polls come November.
“While others have spoken of peace, I have made peace,” he said. “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.”
Fonte: War in Ukraine – POLITICO
