During his address at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to "annihilate" Iran but later confirmed that US and Iranian officials had met privately. Most of Iran's delegation walked out during Trump’s speech. Trump also discussed plans for increased military presence in Greenland and held talks with leaders from Japan, Ukraine, and the UK regarding various international issues.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-23,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Xi pressed Trump to adopt Beijing's stance against Taiwan independence, which Taiwan rejected outright. Meanwhile, Taiwan is crucial for global tech and economy due to its leading semiconductor production; TSMC alone produces the majority of advanced chips that power smartphones, AI systems, and more. As Stanford Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann noted, economic disruption from a conflict over Taiwan would be severe.
In unrelated developments, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with US media at the UN General Assembly, where he denied Iran's nuclear ambitions while offering to dilute its enriched uranium and allow inspections under international law. He also blamed Washington for ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that Iran has over 440 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%, raising concerns despite Pezeshkian's denials.
Taiwan's representative, Ambassador Alexander Yui, clarified during an interview on CBS’s "Face the Nation" that while Taiwan was discussed between Trump and Xi, it wasn't a major focus. He emphasized there has been no change in US policy towards Taiwan amid recent tensions with China.
Written for “Taiwan Iran Us Relations Midterms” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 386 other(s) covering the same event.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump asked whether he should "annihilate the Islamic Republic" or offer it a deal to rebuild before telling reporters that US and Iranian officials had met on the sidelines.
asserted
officials → speak → sidelines
Most of Iran's delegation walked out during his speech.
asserted
Most → walk → speech
US President Donald Trump first threatened to "annihilate" Iran in an address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, but then said US and Iranian officials had met on the sidelines hours later, in what is the first confirmed direct contact between the two sides since the war began in February.
asserted
war → threaten → February
At a tumultuous moment for the world — and for his presidency — Trump lauded his own fortitude compared to other leaders as he defended his decision to start a war with Iran in his speech at the UN headquarters in New York.
asserted
he → laud → York
Trump then suggested that he could be facing "a big decision" in the ongoing war with Iran as he called on Tehran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table to find a settlement.
uncertain
he → suggest → settlement
"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," Trump said.
asserted
Trump → make → East
"Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?" he asked.
asserted
he → annihilate → people
Trump further pushed back on the notion that Iran has shown any resilience.
asserted
Iran → push → resilience
"The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate," Trump said.
asserted
Trump → behave → ?
Trump also accused Tehran of stalling to make a deal to fully reopen Hormuz and negotiate an endgame to the war until after the midterm elections in the US.
asserted
Trump → accuse → US
He insisted the tactic would not affect his approach to the war.
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tactic → insist → war
Most of Iran's delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump railed against the Islamic Republic.
asserted
Trump → walk → Republic
Yet after his blustering speech and fulsome defence of the war, the US president told reporters about the meeting between the two sides but offered few details.
"It was a very good meeting," Trump said.
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Trump → tell → details
After his speech, Trump gathered with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the General Assembly to sign a new security agreement.
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Trump → gather → agreement
The deal, announced last week, came together after Trump repeatedly threatened to "take over" Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark, by military force if necessary.
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Trump → announce → force
Trump said Tuesday the US will immediately begin developing a larger military presence in Greenland, including "building two very major military bases."
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US → say → bases
Under the deal, Greenland remains Denmark's territory.
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Greenland → remain → deal
Trump also held talks with new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
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Trump → hold → Burnham
The leaders said they discussed migration, the conflict in Iran, the Russia-Ukraine war and more.
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they → say → Iran
Trump also met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and will hold a more informal meeting with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, the White House said.
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House → meet → Rodríguez
He's also scheduled to meet with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia — to discuss the way ahead with the Iran war and growing concern about recent Tehran-backed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
asserted
He → schedule → Arabia
Trump also plans to take part in an event on the Shield of Americas, an initiative Trump launched with Latin American countries earlier this year focused on combating violent cartels.
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Trump → plan → cartels
Iran war looms large at General Assembly
Trump returned to the UN General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a new war against Iran that he insists is necessary to address a nuclear threat posed by Tehran.
Nevertheless, Trump argued in his speech that the world was better off under his auspices.
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world → loom → auspices
"As president of the most extraordinary nation in history," Trump said.
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Trump → say → history
"I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day.
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I → have → day
I do not believe in letting problems fester."
The war has grown more complicated even though strikes by the US and Israel have killed much of Iran's top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy, while a US blockade of Iranian oil has left Tehran in economic shambles.
The energy market remains spooked by the war, and oil prices spiked further after Saudi Arabia last week shuttered a key pipeline that acted as a relief valve for oil blocked in the Gulf.
The kingdom made the move after the pipeline came under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq while mired in an exchange of fire with Yemen's Houthis.
At the same time, Houthi territorial advances and their takeover of the Bab el-Mandeb strait have now made it treacherous for oil carriers to use that Red Sea shipping lane.
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carriers → believe → lane
But Trump insisted anew that the elevated oil prices are a transitory problem that will fade once the war ends.
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war → insist → ?
"Oil prices will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict," Trump said.
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Trump → come → conflict
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Trump is open to meeting with Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian while he is in New York for the General Assembly.
asserted
he → say → Assembly
"This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you're going to solve problems," Rubio told NBC.
asserted
Rubio → meet → NBC
"It doesn't mean you're going to end up agreeing with them, but it's important."
asserted
it → mean → them
The Aporia
