Foreign
American power, AI and a walkout – key moments from Trump’s UN speech
US President Donald Trump returned to the stage at the United Nations on Tuesday, where he touted his administration’s policies in front of world leaders and issued pointed threats to some of those gathered in the room.
The lengthy speech was wide-ranging, covering the war in Iran, AI, Cuba and the role of America’s military.
The BBC’s correspondents who covered the address have picked five key moments that stood out.
1. Trump pushes message of American power
The US president has no great respect for the United Nations – he accused it of imposing a far-left agenda – but he does relish the global platform it gives him.
He used Tuesday’s speech to tout his achievements, and claim the mantle of a peacemaker, at the same time as he issued a number of pointed threats.
Iran might be annihilated, lethal strikes on small boats suspected of drug smuggling will continue and the Cuban regime may even be toppled.
The clear message was: America is still prepared to use its military might wherever Trump thinks it might be required to secure its national interests.
Trump said he was “reasserting American power” and flexed what he called the country’s “unmatched military might”.
“The United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western Hemisphere,” he said.
Once again, Trump has made the full-throated assertion to the world of “America First”.
2. Cubans walk out as Trump calls nation ‘failed state’
Trump took aim at one of the US’s closest neighbours, Cuba, calling it “an absolutely failed state” and saying his administration has been pursuing “a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba”.
“It will fall,” he said.
The Cuban delegation walked out of the hall as Trump continued his remarks.
Over the last year, the US president become more vocal in criticising Cuba’s communist government. On Tuesday, he said it was under “enormous pressure” and “failing like never before”.
The US has not, however, provided a detailed picture of what it believes change will look like in Cuba.
Cuba’s foreign minister reacted angrily to Trump’s comments and accused the US president of spreading “falsehoods”.
“The US government is incapable of accepting that Cuba is and has the right to be a full sovereign and independent country,” Bruno Rodriguez wrote on X.
3. A direct threat to ‘annihilate’ Iran
Trump presented Iran with a stark choice at the UN General Assembly: reach an agreement with Washington and rebuild the country, or face the rapid “annihilation” of the Islamic Republic.
He then again predicted that a deal to end the war would probably follow the US midterm elections in November.
His remarks illustrated Trump’s familiar strategy of coercive diplomacy – keeping negotiations open while also threatening overwhelming force.
But his language blurred the distinction between destroying the political system and threatening Iran itself.
International law experts have previously expressed concern at what they called “alarming rhetoric” used by US officials, including Trump himself, who has posted that the US might “obliterate” Iran’s power plants.
References on Tuesday to leaving “no chance of survival” and “no hope” for future generations will likely have stoked similar alarm. There is also an irony in delivering this warning at the United Nations, an organisation founded to save future generations from war.
Yet the speech was not a declaration that diplomacy has failed.
It was an attempt to define the terms of possible negotiations: the US remains prepared to make a deal, but only under the shadow of an existential threat.
4. Trump hails new Greenland security deal
Trump also praised a new deal with Greenland under which he said the US would build two military bases in the Arctic territory.
“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe,” he said of the deal, which he first announced on Friday.
He added that it “very much enhances” the defence alliance Nato.
The US, Denmark and Greenland held a joint signing ceremony at the UN shortly after Trump’s address.
Although Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory, it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark which primarily handles its foreign policy.
Trump administration officials are already hailing the agreement as enhancing US security at minimal cost – and with relationships intact.
Denmark and Greenland’s governments, however, will be hoping it ends the long-simmering disagreement that began when Trump threatened to take Greenland by force.
That threat shook the Nato alliance and sorely tested the US-Danish relationship.
Given Trump had tried for months to purchase or annex the semi-autonomous territory, some analysts are viewing it as a quiet win for diplomacy.
5. An attempted rebrand of AI
Trump has a penchant for branding, and in his speech he gave Artificial Intelligence a new name: Super Intelligence.
“The use of the word artificial makes it sound fake,” he said. “It’s not fake, it’s actually amazing. But we have to be careful.”
“Welcome to the new world of Super Intelligence – SI,” he added.
Trump has previously argued that the US must come out on top in the AI development race, saying last week: “Whoever wins AI, wins.”
The president is firmly against government regulation or introducing new guardrails – and that puts him at odds with many of those gathered at the UN.
For those who are calling for regulation, the question is whether the slow pace of diplomacy can keep up with AI’s rapid development.
A Cessna 550 Citation Bravo carrying Brazilian singer Rey Vaqueiro and seven other people has overrun the runway while landing at Parelhas Airport in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
The aircraft, with registration PP-WMO, was involved in the incident during the early hours of Sunday, September 13, according to aviation news platform FL360aero, which reported the incident in a post on X.
The aircraft reportedly ran beyond the runway while landing at the airport and subsequently caught fire, with both engines said to have been engulfed in flames.
Firefighters battled the blaze for approximately five hours before it was brought under control.
All eight people on board, comprising six passengers and two crew members, reportedly evacuated the aircraft.
Some of the occupants were said to have sustained minor injuries, while no serious injuries were reported.
The aircraft was destroyed by the fire.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation by Brazil’s Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA).
The incident involved a Cessna 550 Citation Bravo, a business jet commonly used for private and charter flights.
More flights are expected to be delayed in the United Kingdom (UK) after a technical problem with the country’s air traffic control system led to more than 2,000 cancellations.
A total of 291 flights were cancelled on Wednesday after 1,750 were cancelled on Tuesday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Tens of thousands of passengers have been affected by the disruption.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the UK’s air traffic control provider, blamed the disruption on a technical glitch. Its chief executive, Martin Rolfe, apologised and said a full investigation would be carried out.
He admitted that resolving the problem had taken “longer than hoped”.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the outage as “unacceptable”, while Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned Rolfe to explain what happened.
The disruption affected several major UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Airports in Ireland also reported disruption.
At Heathrow, departures were initially paused on Tuesday before operations resumed and then faced further disruption later in the day.
Heathrow said its operations were recovering on Wednesday but warned passengers of further delays because aircraft and crew needed to be repositioned.
Gatwick also said flights had resumed but warned that it would take time for operations to return fully to normal.
Passengers have been advised to check directly with their airlines before travelling to airports. Heathrow said passengers should only travel if they have a confirmed flight.
The technical fault affected NATS’ flight data processing system. Rolfe said it was not the same system that failed during a major disruption in 2023.
However, the latest incident is the third technical problem experienced by NATS in three years. A computer shutdown in 2023 caused widespread disruption affecting around 700,000 passengers, while another outage in 2025 resulted in about 150 cancellations.
Airlines including Ryanair and Wizz Air have called for changes to NATS. Wizz Air UK managing director Yvonne Moynihan said the company needed to consider whether NATS was “fit for purpose”.
Despite the disruption, Rolfe defended the UK’s air traffic control system, saying it remained one of the best in the world.
However, former NATS air traffic control manager Doug Maclean said repeated failures were undermining the system’s reputation.
Even though the technical issue has been resolved, passengers are expected to face further disruption because of the backlog of flights, aircraft and crew.
NATS said it was working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.
(BBC News)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be working royals allowed to carry out official engagements now they have returned to the UK, a letter sent on behalf of King Charles spells out.
The letter is intended to clarify the status of Prince Harry and Meghan, who moved back from California with children Archie and Lilibet last month.
They will still not be able to use titles of “His and Her Royal Highness”, and remain “private citizens”, says the letter sent on behalf of the King by the Lord Chamberlain, a top Palace official.
It comes as Prince Harry appears to have been pictured for the first time since his return, with a photo on social media showing him at a London TV and podcast studio.
The King’s letter has been sent to Prince Harry’s team, government departments, military officials and Lord Lieutenants, according to Palace sources.
Lord Lieutenants, who are the monarch’s local representatives, and government staff are often involved in royal visits and engagements.
This letter makes clear that any engagements carried out by the Sussexes will be in a private capacity and they will not be representing the Royal Family.
It seems to be something of a shot across the bows, making clear that any Prince Harry and Meghan visits should not be treated as royal engagements.
This comes ahead of what are likely to be public appearances by the Sussexes this autumn, as they settle in the UK and support their charities.
The couple have kept a low profile, but the first picture of Prince Harry since coming back to the UK appears to have been posted on the social media account of Tower Bridge Studios in London.
The message from the King emphasises that the position agreed in 2020 when the Sussexes left the UK – the so-called Sandringham Agreement – is still in place.
This ruled out any “half-in and half-out” status, so Harry and Meghan could not pursue their own commercial interests while continuing to be working royals.
“It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of the Sovereign, and are no longer working members of the Royal Family,” the letter says.
The letter sent on behalf of the King makes it clear that this remains the case.
“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity,” it adds.
The King’s message says that any questions from organisations about the reception to be given to the Sussexes, “particularly where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed to Buckingham Palace”.
Prince Harry and Meghan faced an acrimonious departure from the UK in 2020, which they chronicled in their Netflix documentary.
They established their financial independence in California, including Prince Harry writing a best-selling memoir Spare and Meghan creating an online food range, As Ever.
This summer the couple made a surprise return to the UK, where their children will be going to school.
It’s expected that Prince Harry will be supporting his charities, including the Invictus Games, which are due to be held in Birmingham next year.
There have been reports that Meghan is considering a return to acting.
Disputes about Prince Harry and Meghan’s security in the UK remain unresolved and the letter spells out: “Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant police authorities.”
Prince Harry has complained about a lack of adequate police protection in the UK, but the Palace says that has to be addressed by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee – known as Ravec – which decides security for royals and public figures.
Palace sources have suggested it was better to make the Lord Chamberlain’s letter public, in a spirit of transparency, rather than risk it emerging in leaks.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s representatives have been contacted for a response.
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