In UN speech, President Trump talks about progress with North Korea and Slam Iran: NPR


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President Trump attends a meeting on the world drug problem at the United Nations with US Ambassador Nikki Haley a day before the official opening of the UN General Assembly .

Spencer Platt / Getty Images


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President Trump attends a meeting on the world drug problem at the United Nations with US Ambassador Nikki Haley a day before the official opening of the UN General Assembly .

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

When President Trump delivers his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, it is unlikely that a sentence will appear: "A rocket man".

Much has changed since Trump used this ridiculous nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his speech in the United States last year – he also said that the United States would "totally destroy" the North Korea if necessary.

Since then, tensions have subsided between Trump and Kim, with leaders now exchanging compliments after holding a historic face-to-face summit in June.

"Everyone interpreted his comments [last year] as a prelude to the war. You could not have a bigger difference in tone, "said Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Part of Trump's US mission this year will be to promote closer ties with North Korea as a foreign policy success, while calling on nations to maintain pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions. .

Although temperatures have cooled, it remains to be seen how far North Korea is willing to continue denuclearization. Trump has canceled North Korea's August visit to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, citing a "lack of progress" in dismantling the country's nuclear program.

US Ambassador to the United States Nikki Haley called on Russia earlier this month for allegedly helping North Korea to bypass international sanctions, a charge Russia has rejected. Trump has also repeatedly argued that China is loosening its enforcement of sanctions, in retaliation against the United States for trade disputes.

Trump told reporters in the United States on Monday that he hoped to have another meeting with North Korean Kim soon.

In a separate briefing on Monday, Pompeo said he planned to travel to Pyongyang before the end of the year to help organize the meeting.

Pompeo said the sanctions against North Korea would continue.

"The president remains resolved, it is not the moment to reduce the pressure," he said.

Push back Iran

While Trump could reject any tough talk against North Korea, he will use his time in the General Assembly to push off another potential nuclear threat: Iran.

"You can bet that the president will have deserved the strong words for the Iranian regime, which is one of the worst violators of US Security Council resolutions, if not the worst in the world," said Pompeo.

He added that Trump would call on all countries to join the United States in their efforts to isolate Iran.

When Trump spoke in the United States last year, the United States was still in the Iranian nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration. Trump called the deal "embarrassing".

Trump has withdrawn from the agreement in May on the objections of the European allies. Since then he has intensified rhetoric and reimposed sanctions against Iran.

In July, Trump tweeted a warning to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He said Iran would "suffer" like few other countries if it continued to threaten the United States.

The Trump administration has made it clear that it will pressurize Iran to prevent the development of its nuclear program, stop its ballistic missile production and stop its support for malicious activities in the Middle East. East.

"This is going to be a very strong message and perhaps the predominant message that nations will take away from the speech of the General Assembly," said Schaefer.

Rouhani will also deliver a speech on Tuesday in the United States, where he will have the opportunity to refute Trump's remarks.

All of this could pave the way for a tense meeting of the US Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

Trump will chair the meeting, which was originally to focus on Iran. The administration has broadened the focus on denuclearization in general, but in a tweet on Friday's meeting, Trump only mentioned Iran.

We do not know if Rouhani will choose to attend the session, but it is possible.

The focus on Iran also puts the United States at odds with members of the Security Council, France and the United Kingdom. Both countries lobbied unsuccessfully to keep the United States in a nuclear deal.

"If Trump makes Iran the centerpiece of his remarks, the Europeans will have to react," said Ilan Goldenberg, a prominent member of the Center for a New American Security.

"They will be as polite as possible and will avoid shaking it … but they will say that they do not agree" with Trump about the agreement with the company. Iran.

Disagree with allies

It would not be the first time Trump has faced American allies this year. Trump was isolated and combative at the G-7 meeting in Canada in June and at the NATO meeting in Brussels in July.

Trump was not so tough in his rhetoric about the United States, but he voiced some concerns about the international body.

"I've always said that the United Nations has tremendous potential, but they have not lived up to that potential," said Trump. a video previewing his trip.

The wide range of countries attending the General Assembly may give Trump the opportunity to direct his anger mainly at opponents.

"It's especially serious when the United States seems isolated among its allies," Goldenberg said. "Trump having a quarrel with the Iranians is better than Trump having a feud with the French – he has enough bad guys to take it, maybe he will not go after our friends. "

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