The President of the United States, Donald Trump, raised an extreme dilemma for Iran from the podium of the United Nations on Tuesday: reach a new agreement with Washington or face an offensive that, in his words, could lead to the “annihilation” of the Islamic Republic.
During his speech before the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Trump asserted that he has "a great decision" ahead of him and directly contrasted the possibility of a pact with Tehran to a new military escalation.
“Will an agreement be reached with Iran that allows them to rebuild and create a country much better than it was before, perhaps one of the best in the Middle East or even in the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them another chance to kill and destroy people and countries?” he stated.
Despite the seriousness of the threat, Trump expressed his belief that an agreement will ultimately be reached and placed that possible outcome after the U.S. midterm elections on November 3.
"I believe we will reach a fair agreement after the elections, because it doesn't make sense for them not to," he noted.
According to the president, Iranian authorities are waiting to know the outcome of the elections, although he emphasized that he himself is not a candidate in those elections.
Trump reiterated that Washington's central condition is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The president also defended the U.S. military operations against Tehran and stated that Iran's naval, air, air defense, and missile and drone manufacturing capabilities have suffered significant damage.
He also called on other countries to join the economic isolation of Iran until Tehran halts its attacks on commercial navigation, abandons its nuclear ambitions, and ceases to support organizations deemed terrorist by Washington.
Hours after threatening potential "annihilation" from the UN, Trump adopted a considerably more conciliatory tone and assured that Washington and Tehran had maintained contacts that very Tuesday.
"I believe an agreement will be reached," he stated after meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. "They want to talk to us. They've been talking to us, even today," he added, although he reiterated that the United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters.
Signals of a possible opening also emerged from Tehran. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days if the United States lifts its blockade and reduces military pressure, describing the General Assembly as a "golden opportunity" to resume diplomacy.
The ultimatum comes after several weeks during which Trump has alternated between military threats and messages about a potential negotiated exit.
On September 13, he stated that the United States will "leave" Iran, unless it decides to keep its oil "like in Venezuela", while Washington continued its pressure on Tehran.
In that regard, days earlier, Trump had directly linked the increase in oil and gasoline prices to the war against Iran and stated that prices would start to fall after the midterm elections.
Pressure on Tehran had intensified since August. Trump then announced an "economic war" against Iran and threatened "tremendous consequences" for countries that assisted the Iranian regime.
That hardening came after a previous attempt at negotiation.
At the beginning of August, Trump claimed to have reached "the foundations of an agreement" with Iran and canceled a military attack that he said was prepared.
However, just two weeks later, he stated that there were no ongoing conversations and that the naval blockade over Hormuz was still fully in effect.
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