Trump at U.N. this morning - Sept 24

[dan_s]

Trump, who has centered his presidency around an “America First” agenda, used his 2017 and 2018 addresses to defend and promote the importance of national sovereignty -- a message that clashes with the more globalist outlook of the world body. He said that he wants to avoid "endless wars" but also promised to defend America militarily, if needed.

He used that message to pivot to Iran, urging the Islamic regime to put its people first and to abandon its quest for nuclear weapons and support of terror in the region. He told delegates that the U.S. does not seek conflict with other nations but that “I will never fail to defend America’s interests.”

He accused Iran's leaders of "fueling the tragic wars in both Syria and Yemen," and of "squandering their nation's wealth in a fanatical quest for nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them."

"We must never allow this to happen," he said.

He was given a boost on his hardline stance with Iran on Monday when Britain, France and Germany joined the U.S. in blaming Iran for attacks earlier this month on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. They said in a statement that “there is no other plausible explanation” than that “Iran bears responsibility for this attack.”

"All nations have a duty to act, no responsible government should subsidize Iran's bloodlust," he said, promising to tighten sanctions if Iran continued its aggression.

The move marks a significant win for the U.S., which has been trying to rally European nations to its side in its “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. Last year it pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, despite criticism from allies that had signed onto the pact.

The U.S. has since imposed waves of sanctions, including on Iran’s central bank last week. Trump said last week in the Oval Office that Iran could stop the sanctions if it would stop supporting terrorism. He has also opened the door to meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

[dan_s]

Germany, UK, France blame Iran for Saudi oil attacks
Signatories to 2015 Iran nuclear deal issue statement as more signs emerge pointing to collapse of landmark agreement.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/ ... 21030.html