UNITED NATIONS — President Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran if it fails to negotiate a deal over its nuclear program, delivering a defensive speech justifying the mission at the United Nations on Tuesday.

His remarks come more than six months into a war that has grown increasingly unpopular at home, with fewer than a third of Americans approving of the president’s handling of the conflict, according to recent polls.

“I have a big decision to make,” he told world leaders gathered at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, with Iranian diplomats in attendance.

“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before — maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy again?

“Do I drive them into hell,” he continued, “with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness?”

The war has carried steep political costs for the president and his party ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November, increasing inflation and energy prices due to disruptions in commercial shipping traffic through key waterways in the Middle East.

Defense officials say the conflict has also placed a huge burden on U.S. munitions stockpiles, as Iran continues firing ballistic missiles and drones at American assets and bases throughout the region.

But Trump denied that the war has depleted U.S. stocks. “That’s not true,” he said.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election,” Trump said. “We must be equally united in maintaining pressure.”

The rise in global gas prices has sparked protests around the world. But Trump’s vow to ensure Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon — an issue that for decades united the international community — generated applause throughout the chamber.

Launching the war on Iran in February, Trump projected the campaign would last roughly six weeks, with the stated objective of disabling Iran’s ballistic missile program, its navy and its nuclear infrastructure. He also vowed a day would soon come when the Iranian people could rise up against their government and reclaim their country.

More than six months later, the Islamic Republic stands. Iran’s ballistic missiles continue to test U.S. air defenses across the Middle East, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains depressed, and talks over the future of Iran’s nuclear program have collapsed.

Explaining his decision to start the war, Trump said that he decided not to let the problem of Iran’s nuclear work “fester,” and warned that its ballistic missile program was being designed as a shield to protect its nuclear program from foreign attack.

“Iran’s goal was to complete their mad dash to a nuclear bomb from behind this conventional ballistic missile shield,” Trump said. “They were the bully of the Middle East, but they’re the bully no more.”

The United States has repeatedly offered a deal with Iran that would open up economic cooperation between the two nations in exchange for an end to their nuclear work, he said.

“They absolutely refused,” he added. “That was a big mistake.”

U.S. and Iranian officials met on the sidelines of the annual general assembly, in a meeting Trump later described as productive.

“Very good meeting,” he told reporters traveling with him in New York. “I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to. It’s greatness, potential greatness, or obliteration.”

Latin America on Trump’s mind

When outlining his priorities on the Western Hemisphere, Trump vowed to use “unmatched military might” when necessary if drug cartel activity in other countries poses a threat to the United States.

“Our actions in Venezuela are proof that the United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western Hemisphere,” Trump said.

Trump said his administration is reasserting its power over regional drug cartels, which he characterized as “the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.” He said drug cartel members should be “killed, exiled or detained as enemy combatants without the possibility of release,” and said Mexico was the “epicenter of the cartel violence.”

“Mexico must reclaim control of its soil from the enemies of humanity,” he said.

In the same remarks, Trump said his administration is seeking a “fundamental change” in Cuba, which he called a “failed state.” He said talks on what comes next for the communist island are being negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“It will fall,” he said, as members of the Cuban delegation walked out of the room.

Also in the room was Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president of Venezuela. She has worked closely with the Trump administration since the U.S. military captured Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.

Rodríguez and Trump were expected to have a “pull aside” meeting, said Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Their encounter is the first time the two leaders met in person since Maduro’s capture.

Because Rodríguez is a holdover from the Maduro government, the meeting has drawn criticism in Venezuela, where many believe Trump is legitimizing her. Earlier this month, those tensions grew when the U.S. government entered an agreement with an oil producer to develop Venezuelan’s vast oil resources, with Rodríguez’s blessing.

The sweeping oil deal raised uncertainty about how entrenched the unelected government may become, more so after Trump said he did not think Venezuela was ready to hold democratic elections yet.

“It’s very new. We took them out of a dictatorship and we’re getting along great with the government,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. But he said an election would happen “soon.”

A deal over Greenland

Also Tuesday, after months of threatening to seize Greenland, Trump signed a security agreement with the leaders of the Arctic territory and Denmark, one that he lauded as “tremendous for Europe and the United States.”

Details of the deal remained vague upon its signing. But Trump told the General Assembly that the agreement gives the United States “permanent control over security and all of the needs” of the Danish territory.

“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places,” Trump said. “No U.S. adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland anymore or make sensitive investments there without our written approval.”

Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, on Tuesday said the accord “respects the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark as well as Greenland’s right to self-determination.”

Action is still needed by the Danish and Greenland governments before it can be enforced, though Trump characterized it as more immediate. He told the General Assembly that the United States planned to immediately grow its military presence in the Arctic island.

“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations,” he said. “We will be building two major military bases.”

Frederiksen told Trump on Tuesday that the deal would help protect the United States from foreign adversaries.

“Mr. President, you’ve been very clear you don’t want adversaries to come too close. I fully agree. And with this deal, they are not,” she said. “We are making sure that they will not be allowed to get any control or significant influence in Greenland.”

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(Wilner reported from New York and Ceballos from Washington.)

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