Trump to call on UN to take action against Iran and North Korea
Donald Trump will call on the United Nations to take action against Iran and North Korea in his first speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Scheduled to take the stage in the body’s New York headquarters later today, the US President will tell those in attendance that foreign policy based on the prominence of each state’s individual sovereignty will be a priority going forward.
According to several reports, Trump’s discourse will set out a model for cooperation between UN states that will allow countries to protect their own interests.
An administration official quoted by CNN on Tuesday said that Trump was going to "speak in extremely tough terms about the North Korea menace and the threat it poses to our security and the security to all the nations in that room."
The official added that Trump will warn member states they risk being ‘bystanders in history’ if they do not confront threats from North Korea and Iran.
In comments ahead of the former real estate mogul’s speech, he said on Monday that the UN should cut down on bureaucracy in order to maximise its potential.
"Focus more on people, less on bureaucracy," Trump said.
"It (the UN) has not reached its potential because of the bureaucracy and mismanagement," he added.
Trump repeatedly criticised the UN during his presidential campaign, commenting on the body’s 'utter weakness and incompetence' ahead of his election victory last year.
All eyes will be on the US President on Tuesday as he makes his first address to UN delegates, particularly after a turbulent few months in which the nuclear threat from North Korea has increased significantly.