Trump Threatens Iran With Genocide in Address to UN General Assembly

Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. President Donald Trump made his most openly genocidal threat yet to Iran on Tuesday, threatening to “annihilate” the country and its 92 million people with “no hope of survival.” In his opening address to the UN General Assembly in New York City , Trump asserted again that he is facing a choice on Iran about whether to make a deal “that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country.” “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 in his UN speech. Trump has repeatedly made genocidal threats against Iran, prompting calls for impeachment and war crimes inquiries . These arresting remarks are especially alarming considering that Trump felt emboldened to make them at the highest-level gathering of world leaders, under the flag of an organization created after World War II with the mission of preventing global atrocities. Human rights experts have previously said that Trump’s threats to wipe out Iran are genocidal. The UN’s Genocide Convention defines genocide as acts carried out “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” Related Story News | Human Rights UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran, That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime The US targeted “clearly identifiable” civilian sites in Minab and Lamerd, killing over 100 children, the UN found. By Sharon Zhang , T ruthout September 17, 2026 Truthout Over the nearly seven months of his war on Iran, Trump’s genocidal threats have become commonplace. He has previously said that “a whole civilization will die tonight”; claimed numerous times that there “won’t be anything left” after he strikes the country; and, most recently, pontificated about “if and when do I blow the entire nation up?” During his remarks at the UN, Trump said that Iran’s air force, navy, nuclear program, and defense equipment have been totally destroyed by the U.S – a dubious claim that he’s made since the first week of the war. He said that Iran’s government “slaughtered 72,000 of its citizens this year,” adding that “recently 10,000 were killed for protesting.” It’s unclear what events Trump is referencing. Iranian human rights activists have recorded roughly 6,500 protesters killed in mass protests in December and January, far lower than Trump’s 72,000 figure. Many mass gatherings in Iran since then have cheered the government against the U.S. and Israel’s war of aggression. A UN fact-finding mission also recently found that two U.S. strikes on Iran during the first day of the war were likely war crimes in violation of international laws of civilian protection. After making his genocidal threat at the UN, Trump claimed “we will make a deal right after the election. 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 realize is I am not running.” He said that, once the war is over, oil prices “will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict.” Analysts have said this claim attempts to manipulate voters amid the president’s record low approval ratings , driven in large part by the war and the affordability crisis that it’s worsened. In his speech, Trump also threatened Cuba, saying that his administration is “seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba,” where he said left-wing leaders have “spent decades coordinating with the left-wing radicals and communist networks here in the United States.” 25 Years of Truthout: An important fundraising appeal This September, Truthout is celebrating 25 years of publication. For over two decades, we have been a trusted source for fiercely independent journalism thanks to readers like you. As we look to the next 25 years, we have launched a special fundraising campaign. Looking to a sustainable future for our publication, we have a fundraising goal of $39,000 in the next 48 hours. We are asking for your support at this juncture because we face greater threats than ever before in our organizational history. Trump and his MAGA allies are determined to control the information ecosystem, and movement-based organizations are subject to dangerous censorship and scrutiny. If you can support Truthout with a one-time or monthly donation, you will make a significant impact on our work and our legacy. Anything you can do makes a difference! Share Share via Facebook Facebook Circle Icon Share via Bluesky Bluesky Circle Icon Share via Flipboard Flipboard Circle Icon Share via Mail Mail Circle Icon Share via Print More Share via Threads Share via Reddit Reddit Cirlce Icon Share via Pocket Pocket Circle Icon Share via Linkedin LinkedIn Circle Icon Share via Twitter Twitter Circle Icon Republish Republish This Article for Free Republishing Guidelines This article is licensed under Creative Commons ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 ), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms: Required: Required: You must credit Truthout and retain our links, as follows: "This article was originally published by Truthout." Required: You must preserve the article exactly as it appears on our site. You cannot edit, shorten or otherwise alter the content. Required: You must clearly credit the author(s) and retain their byline. Prohibited: You cannot republish our photographs or illustrations without specific permission. Prohibited: You cannot use this work for commercial purposes. Article HTML Republish HTML code for copying <h1>Trump Threatens Iran With Genocide in Address to UN General Assembly</h1> By Sharon Zhang This article was originally published by <a href src="https://truthout.org/articles/trump-threatens-iran-with-genocide-in-address-to-un-general-assembly/">Truthout</a> “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” he said. President Donald Trump made his most openly genocidal threat yet to Iran on Tuesday, threatening to “annihilate” the country and its 92 million people with “no hope of survival.” In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iFtwt6Ck58">his opening address to the UN General Assembly in New York City</a>, Trump <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/17/trump-axios-interview-iran-war">asserted again</a> that he is facing a choice on Iran about whether to make a deal “that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country.” “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 in his UN speech. Trump has repeatedly made genocidal threats against Iran, prompting <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/aoc-iran-deal-changes-nothing-on-need-to-impeach-trump-for-genocidal-threat/">calls for impeachment</a> and <a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr-ryan/our-work/carr-ryan-commentary/whole-civilization-will-die-tonight-day-american">war crimes inquiries</a>. These arresting remarks are especially alarming considering that Trump felt emboldened to make them at the highest-level gathering of world leaders, under the flag of an organization created after World War II with the mission of preventing global atrocities. Human rights <a href="https://www.amnestyusa.org/blog/joint-letter-of-200-organizations-and-experts-in-response-to-president-trumps-threats-of-war-crimes/">experts have</a> previously said that Trump’s threats to wipe out Iran are genocidal. The UN’s Genocide Convention defines genocide as acts carried out “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” Over the nearly seven months of his war on Iran, Trump’s genocidal threats have become commonplace. He has previously said that “a whole civilization will die tonight”; claimed <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116590914302000241">numerous times that</a> <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2084345205767975098">there</a> “won’t be anything left” after he strikes the country; and, most recently, pontificated about “if and when do I blow the entire nation up?” During his remarks at the UN, Trump said that Iran’s air force, navy, nuclear program, and defense equipment have been totally destroyed by the U.S – a dubious claim that he’s made since the first week of the war. He said that Iran’s government “slaughtered 72,000 of its citizens this year,” adding that “recently 10,000 were killed for protesting.” It’s unclear what events Trump is referencing. Iranian human rights activists <a href="https://www.en-hrana.org/the-crimson-winter-a-50-day-record-of-irans-2025-2026-nationwide-protests/">have recorded</a> roughly 6,500 protesters killed in mass protests in December and January, far lower than Trump’s 72,000 figure. Many <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/iranians-rally-by-the-hundreds-of-thousands-in-biggest-show-of-defiance-since-war-began">mass gatherings</a> in Iran since then have cheered the government against the U.S. and Israel’s war of aggression. A UN fact-finding mission also recently found <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/un-inquiry-finds-us-strike-on-minab-iran-that-killed-123-children-was-war-crime/">that two U.S. strikes</a> on Iran during the first day of the war were likely war crimes in violation of international laws of civilian protection. After making his genocidal threat at the UN, Trump claimed “we will make a deal right after the election. 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 realize is I am not running.” He said that, once the war is over, oil prices “will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict.” Analysts have said <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/10/trumps-iran-war-now-has-a-midterm-election-problem">this</a> claim attempts to manipulate voters amid the president’s record <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-approval-falls-career-low-32-high-costs-bite-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2026-09-21/">low approval ratings</a>, driven in large part by the war and the affordability crisis that it’s worsened. In his speech, Trump also threatened Cuba, saying that his administration is “seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba,” where he said left-wing leaders have “spent decades coordinating with the left-wing radicals and communist networks here in the United States.” <hr> This <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/trump-threatens-iran-with-genocide-in-address-to-un-general-assembly/">article</a> was originally published by <a href="https://truthout.org">Truthout</a> and is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)</a>. Please maintain all links and credits in accordance with our <a href="https://truthout.org/republishing-policy">republishing guidelines</a>. Copy this HTML code to republish the article on your website Close Copy HTML This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) , and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license. Sharon Zhang Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering international affairs, politics, and labor. She has a master’s degree in environmental studies. She can be found on Twitter and Bluesky . Truthout

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