Weapon Program:
- Nuclear
- Missile
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. The 8,362nd meeting of the Security Council is called to order.
The agenda for this meeting is: “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.”
The agenda is hereby adopted.
I am honoured to be here today to chair this meeting of the United Nations Security Council. It is also my privilege to welcome the distinguished Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers, and other leaders and representatives here with us. Thank you.
I also wish to warmly welcome Secretary General António Guterres for joining us. Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General.
The Security Council will now consider Item Two of the agenda. I will make a statement in my capacity as the President of the United States of America:
It is a great honor to be here today at this U.N. Security Council briefing to discuss a matter of urgent importance concerning and countering the proliferation of deadly chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.
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The Syrian regime’s butchery is enabled by Russia and Iran. The Iranian regime exports violence, terror, and turmoil. It illicitly procures sensitive items to advance its ballistic missile program and proliferates these missiles all across the Middle East.
The regime is the world’s leading sponsor of terror and fuels conflict across the region and far beyond. A regime with this track record must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.
For this reason, I announced earlier this year that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
This horrible, one-sided deal allowed Iran to continue its path towards a bomb and gave the regime a cash lifeline when they needed it the most. They were in big, big trouble. They needed cash. We gave it to them.
In the years since the deal was signed, Iran’s aggression only increased. The regime used new funds from the deal to support terrorism, build nuclear-capable missiles, and foment chaos.
Following America’s withdrawal, the United States began re-imposing nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. All U.S. nuclear-related sanctions will be in full force by early November. They will be in full force.
After that, the United States will pursue additional sanctions, tougher than ever before, to counter the entire range of Iran’s malign conduct. Any individual or entity who fails to comply with these sanctions will face severe consequences.
I ask all members of the Security Council to work with the United States to ensure the Iranian regime changes its behavior and never acquires a nuclear bomb.
With all of this said, I want to thank Iran, Russia, and Syria for — at my very strong urging and request — substantially slowing down their attack on Idlib Province and the 3 million people who live there in order to get 35,000 targeted terrorists. Get the terrorists, but I hope the restraint continues. The world is watching.
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