The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces rejected the threats made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in his speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) on Tuesday (22), in New York. In a statement released by the Iranian agency Tasnimthe military command stated that the Republican’s statements are “an indication of the strategic impasse of the United States in its aggression against the Iranian nation”.
According to the text, Trump’s “hostile” and repeated speeches, accompanied by an attempt to use the UN platform to justify aggression, generate insecurity and practice “banditry” around the world, would have as their main objective domestic propaganda, and would not be based on reality. For the General Staff, the repetition of “unfounded allegations and threats”, given the “wear and tear” of the US Armed Forces, should not be read as a sign of strength, but as proof of Washington’s “strategic desperation”.
The statement, also signed by the Central General Headquarters Khatam al-Anbiya, according to Al Jazeerastates that Iran has always been a “security anchor” in the region, especially for international trade, and accuses the US of being a source of threat and instability through its “illegitimate, illegal and aggressive” presence in West Asia. The military also accuses Washington of holding the world economy “hostage” to compensate for military failures against Iran.
Still according to the text, Trump’s rhetoric will not alter the balance of forces or compensate for the “declining position” of the USA “in the new world order” or the “humiliating defeats” in the war against Iran and the so-called axis of resistance. The General Staff stated that the Iranian Armed Forces, based on the experience of the eight-year war against Iraq, are ready to deliver “more severe, more crushing and unpredictable” blows against the aggressors and the leaders of the US and Israel.
The statement referred to Trump as the “murderer” of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “innocent children” and the victims of attacks on elementary schools in Minab and Lamerd. The text ends with the expectation that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will bring to the General Assembly the message of the “courageous Iranian nation” and the “power of a strong and invincible Iran”.
On the stand, hours earlier, Trump had dedicated a large part of his speech to defending the war against Iran, which began on February 28 with bombings by the US and Israel. The Republican said he had a “big decision” ahead of him. “Will a deal be made with Iran that allows them to rebuild and create a country much greater than they ever were? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and quickly, without ever again giving them the chance to kill and destroy people and countries? Do I send them to hell?”
He also stated that he believes that an agreement will be reached shortly after the US midterm legislative elections, scheduled for November 3, and said that Washington had already offered Tehran “full economic cooperation” in exchange for an end to Iran’s nuclear program and what the US classifies as support for terrorism.
The speech contrasted with the speech of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, who warned of the deepening of global divisions and highlighted the “interdependence” between peoples, and with that of President Lula (PT), who exposed a vision that was antagonistic to Trump’s regarding the international order. The American also celebrated the offensive on Venezuela with the phrase “to the victors, the spoils”.
‘Conversations’ in New York have divergent versions
On the same day as the threats, representatives of the two countries participated in negotiations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the first since the June ceasefire collapsed. Reports, however, differ about the format of the meeting.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff stated in a publication on X that the conversations took place “through mediators, who moved between the two sides throughout the day”. “They have successfully concluded a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising. The mediators will continue with their work,” he wrote.
Trump gave a more direct version. According to him, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, had a three-hour meeting with the Iranian delegation. “It was a very good, very productive meeting,” the Republican told reporters, adding that there was “a lot of momentum” towards an agreement. According to the Al Jazeerathe White House had to clarify after Trump did not participate in the meeting.
Iranian state TV confirmed a meeting between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff, after weeks without direct contact. According to the correspondent of Al Jazeera in Tehran, Tohid Asadi, the meeting took place “at the request and insistence of the American side” and aimed to convey Iran’s messages and conditions, mainly regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, cited by the state agency Irnastated that the negotiation took place through a Qatari mediator, who conveyed Tehran’s conditions, including the end of the war “on all fronts” and “acts of aggression” by the US.
According to the Iranian state press, the demands also include the end of the US naval blockade, the release of frozen Iranian assets and the end of the war on the fronts that Tehran calls “resistance”, which includes Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. An Iranian security source told Al Jazeera that there may be room for further rounds if Washington meets the conditions.
Before the contacts, a senior Iranian official told the agency Reuters that the delegation in New York had full authority to negotiate and classified the Assembly as a “golden opportunity” for Washington to return to the table. According to him, Iran sent its latest proposal to the US through mediators on September 16, and the country could reopen Hormuz within seven days if the US reduces military pressure and lifts the blockade of Iranian ports.
War continues with Hormuz closed and ports blocked
Since the start of the war in February, Iran has responded to the bombings with attacks on Israel, US bases in the Gulf and Washington’s Arab allies, in addition to closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of the oil and liquefied natural gas consumed in the world before the conflict passed. The blockade caused sharp fluctuations in energy prices and increased pressure on Trump on the eve of the legislative elections.
After the collapse of the June memorandum of understanding, the two sides intermittently returned to exchanging attacks. Iran has attacked vessels it says are trying to cross Hormuz without authorization, while the US has struck Iranian positions in the strait and Iranian oil tankers near the country’s coast. Washington still maintains the blockade of Iranian ports, with a strong impact on the local economy, and threatens to sanction any country that continues to trade with Iran.
American authorities have been signaling progress since then. In early August, Trump said that the two sides had reached parameters for a possible agreement and, later, that talks on Hormuz were “going well”. At the beginning of September, he said he hoped the war was “close to an end”. The differences, however, remain: Tehran conditions the reopening of the strait on the relief of military pressure and the end of the blockade, and demands that the US and Israel also end the war in Lebanon.
The conflict gained a new front with the intensification of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, allies of Iran, against Saudi Arabia’s oil transport, which led to an escalation with the kingdom.
*With information from Tasnim, BBC and Al Jazeera.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
