U.S. President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, that he had to decide whether to “annihilate” Iran if it fails to make a deal to end the war in West Asia (also referred to as the Middle East war).

Trump said: “I have a big decision to make -- 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? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

He added that he believed an agreement was possible. One source says he said this was possible after the U.S. midterm elections in November; another says before. Sources disagree on the timing.

Iranian delegates walked out during the address.

Trump also said he would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, saying Iran had been “the bully of the Middle East, but they are not anymore.” He repeated a claim about an India-Pakistan truce, according to one source title; the supplied sources did not provide further details on that claim.