Trump Tells U.N. He Could 'Annihilate' Iran, Predicts a Deal After the Midterms

President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that the United States could "annihilate" Iran, then predicted Tehran will reach a deal with Washington shortly after November's midterm elections. The address in New York tied the war with Iran, the future of Cuba and America's lead in artificial intelligence into one argument: that American power is expanding on every front.

Trump spoke before a chamber that included first lady Melania Trump, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz.

A Warning to Tehran, and a Forecast for November

The president said he inherited the Iran problem from earlier administrations and argued that U.S. military action stopped Tehran from reaching a nuclear weapon. He described the war as a necessary correction rather than a conflict of choice.

Trump made clear the military option remains on the table, saying the United States could "annihilate" Iran if the standoff demanded it. He also made clear he expects it to end at the negotiating table instead.

"I hope the Europeans realize that Iran's goal was to complete their mad dash to a nuclear bomb from behind this conventional ballistic missile shield," Trump said. "If they had succeeded, that wicked regime would have been free to spread terror and death forever, knowing that any attempt to stop them would face an arsenal."

He thanked the U.N. Security Council for a resolution condemning Iran's attacks on commercial shipping, then called on "all nations" to join the United States in a "complete economic isolation of Iran." The appeal extended a maximum-pressure campaign that has already squeezed Iranian aviation, banking and oil exports.

On timing, Trump was direct. "I believe we'll make a deal right after the election, because it doesn't make sense for them not to," he said. "They're waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. What they don't realize is that I'm not running. I did that already and won in a landslide."

That forecast puts the next phase of the confrontation on a calendar Americans already know. The midterms arrive in November, and any settlement would follow the voters' verdict rather than precede it.

Cuba Told to Expect 'Fundamental Change'

Trump turned to the Western Hemisphere with an announcement that Havana is on a different path. He said there will be "fundamental change" in Cuba following negotiations between Rubio and Cuban officials.

"Communism will never be coming to America, but freedom will be coming to Cuba," Trump said.

The president called the Cuban regime a "failed state," and Cuban officials left the room as he spoke, leaving a row of empty seats in the hall.

He also accused the Cuban government of spending decades coordinating with left-wing radicals inside the United States, naming the Communist Party USA, Antifa and the Democratic Socialists of America as groups he said the State Department has documented as connected to Havana.

"The Cuban regime has also spent decades coordinating with the left-wing radicals and communist networks here in the United States," he said. He added that the United States will not allow foreign adversaries to threaten America at its own doorstep.

Superintelligence, Greenland and the Case for American Strength

Trump used the lectern to announce a change in vocabulary that he said should spread worldwide. "From this point forward, all of the United States documents and hopefully the world's will be changed to use the much more accurate term super as opposed to artificial. So it's super intelligence," he said. "Welcome to the new world of superintelligence."

He placed the technology race alongside the military and economic contests. "Every major new technology brings challenges, and super intelligence is no exception," Trump said. "Whoever wins super intelligence wins. That's the group that wins. And we're leading now over China by a lot and everyone else. And we're going to keep it that way."

The president also pointed to the agreement expanding the American military footprint in Greenland, describing it as another anchor of U.S. security in the Arctic. On the economy, he said the country is the "envy" of the world, citing rising employment, poverty at new lows and tax cuts.

"The entire world is being lifted by the wealth, strength, spirit and momentum of a newly energized and a very powerful United States of America," he said.

What Comes Next After the U.N. Address

The immediate test is whether allies follow the call for Iran's economic isolation. Waltz has publicly warned governments that keep trading around U.S. sanctions, and the White House now has a public list of expectations to enforce.

Tehran's response matters just as much. Trump's prediction of a post-election deal assumes Iranian leaders conclude that holding out costs them more than negotiating, a calculation the sanctions campaign is built to force.

Cuba is the wild card. Trump tied further movement in Havana to talks already under way between Rubio and Cuban officials, which means the next visible step may come through diplomatic channels rather than a speech.

For now, the address stands as the administration's clearest statement yet that it intends to press every advantage -- military, economic and technological -- while asking voters in November to keep the strategy intact.