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President Donald Trump told Gulf Arab leaders gathered in New York on Tuesday that nearly all of the pressure Washington has applied against Iran has been directed at preventing Tehran from building a nuclear weapon, while reserving some of his warmest praise for Türkiye's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Trump made the remarks at a summit with leaders and officials from Gulf Cooperation Council countries, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting, which Erdogan also attended, came as the Trump administration works on a postwar strategy for the region that officials have said is expected to be finalized after November's U.S. midterm elections.
Turning to Türkiye during his remarks, Trump described Erdogan as a friend and a formidable negotiator, calling him "a tough cookie." He added that Erdogan was tough and not someone to cross, calling him "a great guy."
Trump said the United States had taken extensive military action against Iran to stop the country from developing nuclear weapons, telling the gathered leaders that roughly 99 percent of what Washington has done was meant to keep Iran from obtaining a bomb.
He said American operations had sunk 159 Iranian warships, destroyed the country's air force, wiped out about 90 percent of its weapons factories, and eliminated 450 ballistic missile depots and 800 drone depots. He said Iran's air defense systems and much of its "terrorist leadership" had also been destroyed.
Trump said Iran's economy had collapsed as a result, citing inflation of 300 percent and a currency he said had become largely worthless, and said the country remained economically isolated. He said he hoped Tehran would change course "before it's too late," warning that a day could come when the United States would no longer be able to guarantee Iran's survival as a nation.
Trump also said the U.S. might strike Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified underground facility near Iran's Natanz enrichment site that satellite analysts have said is still under construction. He said the U.S. was not currently seeing significant activity there but would hit the site immediately if that changed.
The remarks came against the backdrop of an active conflict between the United States and Iran that has included previous rounds of American and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, among them Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.
Trump said the U.S. Navy had cleared mines Iran had placed in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil shipments, and had restored the flow of oil through the waterway. He said American forces had escorted more than 1 billion barrels of oil through the strait, moving 25 to 30 ships through it on some nights, and described the naval operation as a "wall of steel." He said more oil was now moving through the strait than at any point since the conflict with Iran began.
Trump also touted broader plans to reduce the region's dependence on routes that pass through Iranian-controlled waters, saying his administration supports the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor and other alternatives, including pipelines, for moving oil out of the region.
Trump said Iran had been "the bully of the Middle East" for 51 years but said it no longer holds that position, though he said it could still cause problems. He said the situation with Iran could be resolved shortly after the U.S. midterm elections in November, though he said he was not certain of the timing, and said the outcome would either come through a negotiated deal or would end quickly through other means.
He described the Gulf region as having enormous long-term potential, saying that went beyond oil to the talent and energy of its people, whom he called brilliant. He also briefly referenced a Gaza cease-fire agreement, telling the gathering that the deal had helped save a large number of lives, though he did not provide additional detail.
Trump noted his 2024 election victory during the remarks, saying he had carried all seven battleground states, and said he was not himself running in the coming midterms but would support Republican candidates.
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