For the first time since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly and condemned the wave of recognitions of a Palestinian state, saying these were gifts too great for Hamas in light of the atrocities it committed.
Confronting the Iranian delegation, he declared that during Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran's nuclear facilities were completely destroyed and many of Iran's former senior military officers were no longer alive.
Trump boasted that he had put an end to seven endless wars. He listed Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. He added that it was unfortunate he had to do this in place of the UN, which, he said, had not even offered assistance in any of them.
Trump explained that he was working to advance a ceasefire in Gaza. Unfortunately, Hamas rejected reasonable offers for peace, he said, stressing that October 7 could not be forgotten.
Instead of surrendering to Hamas' demands, those who want peace must unite behind a single message: "Release the hostages now", Trump declared, drawing applause from the audience.
On the Iranian issue, he said: "My position is very simple. The world's number one state sponsor of terrorism must never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon."
'Reward for Hamas'
The speech comes at a particularly sensitive moment as a growing number of countries have recognized a Palestinian state, a move sharply opposed by both Washington and Jerusalem. The White House stressed that Trump views such recognition as "a reward for Hamas" following its October 7 attack, while failing to advance the release of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, called the recognition "divorced from reality" and insisted: "Israel will continue fighting until every hostage is home and Hamas is defeated."
Trump arrives at this year's assembly from a position of far greater strength than during his first term. Back then, his remarks drew laughter from diplomats. Today, leaders from around the world are eager to meet him and secure his favor. He has already scheduled meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Argentine President Javier Milei and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He will also convene a multilateral meeting with key Muslim leaders, including those of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, focusing on the war in Gaza.
Tradition dictates that Brazil speaks first at the UN General Assembly, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to use his time at the podium to take a swipe at Trump amid worsening tensions between Washington and Brasília. Relations have soured over the conviction of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup.
In response, Trump imposed punitive measures on Brazil, including 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, which Lula dismissed as a political move to shield Trump's ideological ally.
A day earlier, in his address to a UN "two-state conference," Lula harshly criticized Israel, describing events in Gaza as "genocide." He said settlements in the West Bank amounted to "illegal occupation" and accused Israel of carrying out "ethnic cleansing in full view of the world." He argued that Israel's right to self-defense does not permit the killing of "tens of thousands of children" or the starvation of "hundreds of thousands."
Lula noted that Brazil is a party to the legal action brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice and announced expanded trade restrictions on settlement products, along with the continuation of Brazil's freeze on defense exports to Israel.
