US President Donald Trump called Tuesday for a global isolation of the Iranian regime, and accused the “corrupt dictatorship of Tehran” of sowing “chaos, death and destruction.”
In his address to the 73rd UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump said, “We ask all nations to isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues and we ask all nations to support Iran’s people as they struggle to reclaim their religious and righteous destiny.”
The US President also hailed his administration’s decision to withdraw from the “horrible” 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Last May, Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with Iran, which was forged under his predecessor, Barack Obama.
“We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons,” Trump said, citing Iran’s “threatening Israel with annihilation” and chants of “death to America.”
The US administration plans to re-impose harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic next November 5.
Trump said Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are pursuing bold new reforms in Saudi Arabia.
“Following my trip to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries opened a new center to target terrorist financing. They are enforcing new sanctions, working with us to identify and track terrorist networks and taking more responsibility for fighting terrorism and extremism in their own region,” Trump told the UN Assembly.
He also cited the support of several Middle East nations for exiting the landmark pact, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. “Iran’s neighbors have paid a heavy toll for [Iran’s] agenda of aggression and expansion,” he said.
Trump also explained that his country was working with the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, and Egypt to establish a strategic alliance so Middle Eastern nations can advance security and stability across their home region.
Unlike his speech during last year’s UN General Assembly, the US president was more diplomatic when discussing the North Korean file.
Trump's remarks came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ opening address, in which he warned the world leaders gathered in New York that the world order is "increasingly chaotic" with international trust at a breaking point, a state of affairs that could increase the risk of confrontation.