Main Points
- US president Donald Trump has addressed global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York
- In Trump’s address to the UN, he threatened to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into hell” if the regime doesn’t agree to a peace deal
- Trump’s remarks come as the war with Iran nears its eight month
- Denmark, Greenland and the US signed a trilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the UNGA on Tuesday afternoon
- Speaking in New York, Taoiseach Micheál Martin called on Israel FA to withdraw ‘unacceptable remarks’ about Irish football manager
- Outgoing UN Secretary General António Guterres addressed the assembly on the threats of AI and climate change, the Strait of Hormuz and the West Bank
- Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Gaza has become “the most inhuman and shameful concentration camp of our time”
Key Reads
- Trump and the media are in a shared nightmare after he inadvertently bans himself from TV
- ‘Anything could happen with me’: Trump can’t decide on his Iran strategy
- Iran hints at talks with US as leaders gather at UN
That is all for today.
Thank you for joining us for this live coverage.
Goodnight.
Trump at the UN: Global leaders become desensitised to same old shock-and-awe tactics
This year, the teleprompter was working. This year, the United Nations escalator did not break down at the worst possible moment, writes Washington correspondent Keith Duggan from New York.
A year on from his withering rebuke of the international postwar peace alliance, Donald Trump returned to the big, maudlin building on First Avenue with plenty to say.
He championed the effectiveness of his war against Iran and asserted himself as the central figure as the United States seeks “to reshape the world stage and solve problems that have plagued us for far too long”.
With Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Abbas Araghchi, its minister of foreign affairs, both in New York and an Iranian delegation in the assembly hall, Trump told world leaders he had arrived at a point where he faced a critical choice on Iran.
Read the full article here.
UK prime minister to ‘defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination’
UK prime minister Andy Burnham set out Britain’s position on the Falkland Islands during a meeting with US president Donald Trump, saying he would “stand firm in the face of any threats."
In August, Trump said he was reviewing the United States’ neutral position on the remote archipelago in the South Atlantic. Days later Argentine President Javier Milei said he would sanction oil companies drilling in the islands.
“The clear position is: we will stand firm in the face of any threats.
“We will defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British,” Burnham told reporters.
“I just wanted the president to know directly from me, that’s the clear British position and he very much understood what I was saying.”
‘Respect for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people’ is needed, says French president
Addressing the UN General Assembly, French president Emmanuel Macron said “we will not yield in the face of war. We must re-commit and seek solutions that are in keeping with the spirit of the charter.”
“A life is a life, peace and security and indivisible and everyone has a right to them.”
He said in Ukraine, Russia has been waging a “cruel war” on civilians.
France will continue to support the “legitimate aspirations of the Ukrainian people to peace, security and to a future.”
“We must defend Ukrainians more than ever,” he added.
He said Hamas was never reactive in the West Bank.
“What we need is respect for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, the legitimate right to exist.”
Speaking on climate change, he said, “we are already the victims.”
“We must do it for them and even more so for our children.”
Regarding artificial intelligence, Macron said, “there are some who wish to make us believe that only two powers: the US and China will be taking the decisions.”
“Some of these technological developments might attack the security of our states, our hospitals, our banks. They say that just a few will decide what kind of society we live in. No, no.”
US president Trump said some members of his team met with the Iranian delegation, a meeting that he said lasted three hours and “went very well.”
Trump said US officials had a “very good” meeting with Iranian representatives, a rare direct encounter.
He said it was “very productive” and that “they have another one scheduled in the very near future.”
Trump didn’t provide details on who participated in the meeting, but referred to his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who sat alongside the president.
Taoiseach calls on Israel FA to withdraw ‘unacceptable remarks’ about Ireland football manager
Taoiseach Michaél Martin said he agrees with United Nations secretary general António Guterres’s viewpoint that the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank raises “the spectre of ethnic cleansing”, reports Washington correspondent Keith Duggan from New York.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Martin also called on the Israel Football Association to withdraw disparaging remarks made about Ireland football manager Heimir Hallgrímsson ahead of the controversial qualifying meeting between the two countries.
“I would agree with what he said in terms of what is happening on the West Bank and in general with the Israeli approach to the Palestinian people,” Martin said following the opening remarks by Guterres on Tuesday morning.
He noted that more and more countries are recognising “the need for far greater humanitarian aid to go into the Gaza strip itself and to stop the settlements of the West Bank which will undermine the potential two state solution”.
The Taoiseach also responded to a social media post by Israel FA that accused Hallgrímsson of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy” after the Icelander said that the Republic of Ireland team will be “playing against genocide” on Sunday.
“I think they are unacceptable remarks,” Martin said of the Israeli response.
Trump says Burnham ‘understands what he has to do’
US president Donald Trump met UK prime minister Andy Burnham.
Trump described Burnham as a “natural businessperson”.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions even before this meeting. We’ve spoken to each other numerous times on the phone. I think so, I think so. He gets it. He understands what he has to do.”
He said his relationship with UK is better now with Burnham as prime minister than with Starmer.
“No I think they’re up. Well they’re more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way.
“I think right now, based on my relationship with the prime minister, Andy, I think that, I think we’re doing very well.” - Guardian
Trump tells CNN ‘you shouldn’t be here’ at UN general assembly
Trump told a CNN reporter at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that he was “surprised” the outlet was covering him, saying it “shouldn’t be here” after he banned the network alongside Politico and MS Now from the White House on Friday.
“The United Nations allowed us in, sir,” a CNN reporter replied, when Trump began to protest the outlet’s presence.
“You should not be here covering me,” Trump shot back. “You said you weren’t gonna cover me, you shouldn’t be covering me.”
CNN, alongside MS Now and Politico, have sued the Trump administration for the White House ban and other outlets in the president’s standard TV pool have paused their duties in solidarity. - Guardian
Trump believes US will ‘make a deal’ with Iran
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, US president Donald Trump said, “I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to.
“They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. What they don’t realise is that I’m not running. I did that already and won in a landslide.”
Trump issued a threat to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into Hell” if the regime didn’t capitulate and make a deal.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” Trump said, describing the choice he said was before him. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic?”
Iranian Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi said that Tehran would “undoubtedly intensify” its response if the United States launched new attacks on the Islamic republic.
“If they act recklessly and history repeats itself, our resistance will undoubtedly intensify, bolstered by the experience we have gained.
“This time, we will not merely retaliate; we will adopt an offensive posture and America will come to regret its actions, suffering greater humiliation than ever before,” said Mohebi in an interview with AFP.
Greenland deal ‘good news for security’ and ‘strengthens partnership in Nato’ – Germany’s Merz
Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is absent from New York, has welcomed the new deal between the US, Denmark and Greenland.
In a statement on X, he said, “good news for the security of Greenland: the agreement between Denmark, Greenland, and the USA strengthens our partnership in Nato and security in the High North.
“Our partners can count on the support of Germany.”
Gaza is ‘the world’s largest graveyard for children’, says Turkey’s president
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the United Nations had become unable to fulfil its duty of preserving peace and called for reform of the security council.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Erdoğan condemned the situation in Gaza, saying “nobody with a conscience can close their eyes” to what was happening there.
“I have to say the following from this podium with a heavy heart: today, Gaza is not only the world’s largest graveyard for children, it is also the place with the highest rate of child amputations in the world.
Gaza, he said, has become “the most inhuman and shameful concentration camp of our time”.
The Israeli delegation walked out during Erdoğan’s speech. - Guardian
‘It’s been a bumpy ride,’ says Denmark’s foreign minister
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he was pleased with the deal on Greenland but acknowledged that it had been “a bumpy ride” in a post on X.
He posted a picture with fellow chief diplomats of the US, Marco Rubio, and Greenland, Múte B. Egede.
He said, “it’s been a bumpy ride. But here we are – with a deal in hand that we can all be very satisfied with.
“We share a long history. And we share a responsibility for the security of our region.
“Today, we take another important step together – with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination. History binds us together. Our future demands that we stand together.”
Mark Rutte, Nato’s secretary general, said it was “great to see the deal signed by the United States, Denmark, and Greenland today”.
“We know the threats we face, and greater security in the Arctic and North Atlantic is essential for Europe and North America alike,” he said in a statement.
“This agreement, along with Nato’s growing role in securing this vital region, enhances our collective security and supports a safer and more stable future for us all.”
US, Denmark and Greenland sign security deal
US president Donald Trump, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed a trilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the UNGA on Tuesday afternoon.
Frederiksen described the US and Denmark as allies.
“This deal is good for the United States. It’s good for Greenland, for Denmark, for the Nato alliance, and therefore also good for Europe,” she said.
“In other words, we are strengthening our common security, boosting our common deterrence, showing our adversaries who we are and we are doing it together.”
Frederiksen also said the agreement “underlines the importance of the Nato alliance”.
In his speech, Trump also addressed the deal reached between the US, Denmark and Greenland last week, saying the agreement would be signed later today.
“This agreement made with the Kingdom of Denmark - incredible, beautiful country - and the Greenland people itself, gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory.
“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places.
“No US adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland any more, or make sensitive investments there without our express written approval.
“We’ll immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations. We’ll be building two very major military bases.”
AI threats ‘a hoax’ - Trump
Trump also dismissed warnings about the threats posed by artificial intelligence, saying they were “a hoax”.
He said the people spreading this “hoax” previously spread hoaxes about Russia, Ukraine and climate change.
“The same people that are now saying that AI is going to kill us all, that robots are going to attack us, and that everything is going to be a total disaster, the same group of people.
“This is the group that came up with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, the Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine hoax, climate change, open borders.”
He also said that AI should rebrand as SI - “super intelligence”. He said that whichever country “wins super intelligence, wins”.
“We’re leading now over China by a lot, and everyone else, and we’re going to keep it that way.”
He also spoke briefly about transgender healthcare, describing certain procedures as “transgender mutilation and transgender insanity” without any context.
The Trump administration has enacted a series of executive actions and policies restricting transgender rights, a move heavily criticised by activists as endangering people’s lives.
‘Time to stop the killing’ in Ukraine - Trump
Trump said the US will “continue to seek to end the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine”.
“It’s time to stop the killing.”
He paid tribute to the first lady’s “extraordinary” work on securing ”the safe return of many displaced Ukrainian and Russian children back home to their families”.
He said he could not see Melania in the crowd; she smiled and waved as the camera panned to her.
Trump compares drug cartels to Isis
Trump hailed the US military seizure of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January, saying “to the victor belong the spoils”.
“Our actions in Venezuela are proof that the United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the western hemisphere and, if necessary, we will use our unmatched military might to secure the vital national interests of the United States.”
He described the drug cartels of Latin America as “the Isis of the western hemisphere, not good people”.
“They’re enemies at war with civilization, using murder, rape, torture and extortion as instruments of terror. Like Isis, they should be killed, exiled or detained as enemy combatants without the possibility of release, which is what we’re doing.”
Trump said his Board of Peace will help restore peace in Gaza.
He also claimed to have settled eight wars, without specifying which ones, since he came to office.
Trump said he did “not believe in letting problems fester”, as “they only become harder to solve”.
“So while others have talked, I have acted. While others have spoken of peace, I have made peace. While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them. While others have talked of courage, America has shown it.”
Thousands of people have been killed in Iran and Lebanon since the US launched its military attack in Iran in late February.
Trump threatens to drive Iran ‘to hell’
Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into hell” if the regime doesn’t agree to a peace deal and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“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?”
Trump said he believed Iran would agree to a deal “because it doesn’t make sense for them not to”.
Trump claims US has ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear programme
Trump said the US had stood up to Iran.
“They were the bully of the Middle East, but they are the bully no more.”
He claimed that the US military had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme “beneath mountains of rubble”.
He also spoke about Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, saying Iran celebrated the deaths of 1,200 innocent people, including “beautiful babies”, in the attack.
“I call on all nations to join us in enforcing the complete economic isolation of Iran until they stop their attacks on commercial shipping, relinquish their nuclear ambitions, and cease their support of terror.”
US is ‘the hottest country in the world’ - Trump
Trump is now delivering his much-anticipated speech.
Unsurprisingly, he has started by praising the United States, saying its economy is “the envy of the world” and its army is the “most powerful on earth”.
“Two years ago our country was dead and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
He also boasted about a drop in immigration and crime since he took office.
“Before I took office, we had the worst and most dangerous border on Earth, and now we have the most secure border in American history. Nobody comes in unless they’re invited, unless they have permission.”
World is ‘being held hostage’ by UN security council - Lula
Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, widely known as Lula, is now addressing the assembly.
In wide-ranging remarks, he spoke about the global need to “choose between ... democracy or extremism”, the fact that Venezuelan people “deserve to decide their own destiny”, and the need to tackle violence against women.
He also said the world was being “held hostage hostage by the inaction of the [UN] security council for failing to fulfill its role”.
Trump calls on Putin to ‘settle war’, hits out at CNN
In brief remarks to reporters on his way into the UNGA, Trump questioned why Kaitlan Collins, a journalist from CNN, was among the press pack, telling her “you shouldn’t be here”.
CNN is among three media outlets suing the Trump administration after the president banned them from the White House.
Responding to a question, Trump said his message to Putin was to “settle the war” in Ukraine.
The escalator is working this year
In case you were wondering, the escalator at the UNGA is functioning today, an official told CNN.
Last year, Trump called for an investigation after a series of technical mishaps including a broken escalator, a teleprompter failure and audio issues. The US president at the time referred to the errors as “triple sabotage” and a “real disgrace”.
Trump and his wife Melania have arrived at the conference ahead of his imminent address.
Threat of AI ‘killer robots’
Guterres also spoke about the potential threats of artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change.
“Humans are increasingly handing power to machines, with artificial agents going rogue,” he said, adding that AI weapons are going from “science fiction to military reality”.
“Killer robots must have no place in our future...
“Governments with the greatest AI capabilities have the greatest responsibilities to humanity to establish channels for dialogue, transparency, trust and cooperation.”
Guterres called for the UN security council to be reformed, describing the fact that no African country has a permanent seat on the council as “unjust and indefensible”.
In relation to Ukraine, Guterres said “Russia’s full-scale invasion has subjected a sovereign country to a brutal war in blatant violation of the [UN] charter”.
He also warned that parts of Russia – including energy and water systems - have come under attack, “threatening food and energy supply chains globally”.
Settlements in West Bank ‘raising specter of ethnic cleansing’ - Guterres
Outgoing UN secretary general António Guterres is now addressing the assembly.
In his opening remarks he said the “fault lines in our world are widening” and “inequalities have intensified”.
Guterres said the actions that followed the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7th, 2023, “was an onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza, with a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I have witnessed in all my years as secretary general”.
He said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank was raising the “spectre of ethnic cleansing” and damaging the prospect of a two-state solution.
“Violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel in the Occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the specter of ethnic cleansing. We cannot allow the two-state solution to disappear before our eyes.”
Ongoing closure of Strait of Hormuz
In his speech Trump is expected to discuss the ongoing war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A senior Iranian official earlier today said Iran can reopen the strait within seven days if the United States eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports.
“The US needs to announce that it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically, make that official, and then agree on a timeline for how the process will move forward,” the official said, adding that the Iranian delegation at the UN General Assembly has full authority to revive diplomacy with the US.
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian, who left Tehran for New York on Tuesday morning, will not meet Trump at the UN headquarters, the official said.
Trump is due to meet a number of world leaders today including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and UK prime minister Andy Burnham.
Taoiseach to join discussions on Gaza
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is due to participate in several bilateral meetings in the coming days including some related to efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
He is also scheduled to meet outgoing UN secretary general António Guterres, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York governor Kathy Hochul.
Trump to address UN General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly’s annual general debate begins in New York on Tuesday.
Nearly 130 heads of state and government, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, will meet at the high-level event.
US president Donald Trump, one of the first speakers, is due to address the conference at about 3pm Irish time. He is expected to address conflicts in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine among other issues.
