US President Donald Trump has described Iran as the “number one sponsor of terror” and defended his administration’s military action against Tehran during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
Trump used a significant portion of his speech to justify the US campaign against Iran, arguing that Washington had acted after what he described as repeated unsuccessful attempts to reach an agreement over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“There is no better example of a danger that was allowed to gather strength at the world’s peril than the number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said, according to reports of his address. He also accused Iran’s government of decades of violence and destabilising activity across the Middle East.
Trump reiterated his position that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon, saying the issue had been a consistent priority of his administration.
He referred to previous US military operations against Iran and said the latest campaign, Operation Epic Fury, had severely damaged the country’s military capabilities.
Trump claimed that all 159 ships in Iran’s navy had been destroyed and were at the bottom of the sea. He also claimed that Iran’s air force, radar systems, anti-aircraft capabilities and much of its missile and drone manufacturing capacity had been destroyed.
The 159-ship figure is a claim Trump has made repeatedly. In earlier statements, he similarly said Iran had 159 naval vessels and that they had all been destroyed. The White House has separately reported that 150 Iranian warships across 16 classes were destroyed during Operation Epic Fury, illustrating why the specific figures should be attributed rather than presented as an independently verified count.
Trump also argued that the military campaign had inflicted severe economic damage on Iran, while claiming that inflation remained a major problem for the country.
The US president said his administration had given Tehran opportunities to negotiate before resorting to military action. He maintained that Washington’s objective was to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to address what his administration describes as Iran’s support for militant groups.
The White House has previously described Operation Epic Fury as a campaign intended to destroy Iran’s nuclear, missile and naval capabilities and disrupt its support for terrorist organisations.
During Tuesday’s address, Trump also warned that he faced a choice between reaching a deal with Iran and taking further military action. Reuters reported that he warned he could “annihilate” Iran if a peace agreement was not reached, while also indicating that he remained open to negotiations.
The Iranian delegation reportedly walked out of the General Assembly chamber while Trump was speaking about Iran, according to multiple reports.
Trump’s speech came as diplomatic efforts surrounding the conflict continued. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump remained open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the UN gathering, while Arab countries were also attempting to facilitate US-Iran contacts.
The 81st UN General Assembly’s general debate is scheduled to run from September 22 to September 28, 2026, at UN headquarters in New York.