Donald Trump: Iranian Leaders Sow Seeds of Chaos, Death, and Destruction

On Tuesday, October 3rd, during the opening ceremony of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the leaders of the Islamic Republic for their policies, stating that they "sow seeds of chaos, death, and destruction." In remarks covering various topics, Trump said regarding Iran: "We urge all nations to isolate this country as long as the Iranian regime continues its aggressive approach." He referred to the Islamic Republic as a "corrupt dictatorship" and said that Iranian leaders "plunder the country's resources to enrich themselves and spread destruction throughout the Middle East and beyond. The people of Iran have the right to be angry with their leaders who have stolen billions of dollars of their assets, appropriated valuable shares, and looted religious endowments to fill their own pockets and send their proxies to war." The U.S. President emphasized that "Iranian leaders sow seeds of chaos, death, and destruction" and added that "they have no respect for neighbors, borders, or the sovereignty of nations. Iran's neighbors have paid a heavy price for Iran's aggressive and expansionist agenda." Trump stated: "This is why many Middle Eastern countries strongly support my decision to withdraw the United States from the terrible 2015 nuclear deal and restore sanctions." He added: "The nuclear deal was a windfall for Iranian leaders. Since the signing of this agreement, Iran's military budget has grown by nearly 40 percent." "This dictatorship uses financial resources to build missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, increase internal repression, finance terrorism, and commit massacres in Syria and Yemen." Trump reiterated that he has initiated an "economic pressure" campaign against Iran since August to prevent Tehran from obtaining money to advance its "bloody agenda" in Syria and Yemen. He stated that "additional sanctions will be imposed starting November 5, and more sanctions are on the way. We are negotiating with countries that import oil from Iran to significantly reduce their purchases." Trump identified Iran as "the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism," stating that we cannot allow such a regime to acquire the most dangerous weapons on earth. "We cannot allow a regime that chants 'Death to America' and threatens to destroy Israel to obtain the means to launch nuclear warheads at cities across the globe; we absolutely cannot allow this." He called on all countries to "isolate Iran as long as the Iranian regime continues its aggressive approach and urged all nations to support the people of Iran who are fighting to reclaim their rightful and religious destiny." Regarding the necessity of a change in the tone of Iranian leaders, Trump, who had previously expressed readiness to meet with Iranian leaders, told reporters upon entering the UN General Assembly that he would not meet with the leaders of the Islamic Republic until they "change their tone." Trump accused Iran of having "exhibited very bad behavior." The U.S. President emphasized that the United States would take "many actions" regarding Iran, including imposing sanctions. On May 8, he withdrew the U.S. from the six-power agreement with Iran known as the "JCPOA" and reinstated the first round of suspended sanctions against Tehran. The U.S. has stated that the second round of sanctions will be implemented on November 4, aiming to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero. In his speech on Tuesday, Trump compared U.S. relations with Iran to what he described as "improving" relations with North Korea, praising Kim Jong-un for halting missile and nuclear tests. He had referred to the North Korean leader as the "Rocket Man" in his speech last year at the UN General Assembly. Trump also called for reforms in the global trading system and urged the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to prevent rising oil prices.