Iran rejected a US offer of full cooperation in exchange for suspending its nuclear program, US President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, adding his letter to Iran's "so-called" Supreme Leader was met with threats.
Below are excerpts from Trump's speech:
"I've made containing these threats a top priority, starting with the nation of Iran. My position is very simple: the world's number one sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon."
"That's why, shortly after taking office, I sent the so-called Supreme Leader a letter making a generous offer. I extended a pledge of full cooperation in exchange for a suspension of Iran's nuclear program."
"The regime's answer was to continue their constant threats to their neighbors and US interests throughout the region and some great countries nearby."
"Today, many of Iran's former military commanders—in fact, I can say almost all of them—are no longer with us; they're dead. Three months ago, in Operation Midnight Hammer, seven American B-2 bombers dropped 14 30,000-pound bombs on Iran's key nuclear facility, totally obliterating everything."
"No other country on earth could have done what we did. No other country has the equipment to do what we did. We have the greatest weapons on earth. We hate to use them, but we did something that for 22 years people wanted to do."
"With Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity demolished, I immediately brokered an end to the 12-day war, as it's called, between Israel and Iran, with both sides agreeing to fight no longer."
