Trump Defends Strikes on Iran and Venezuela from the UN Podium
On September 22, Trump addressed the UN General Assembly, calling Iran the "number one state sponsor of terrorism" and stating that Washington now faces a choice: reach a deal with Tehran or take "much tougher steps." Separately, he confirmed the military operation in Venezuela that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, and announced a major oil agreement with the new Venezuelan leadership. Trump openly acknowledges that revenues from Venezuelan oil have already "paid back many times over" the cost of the military operation — geopolitics is turning into a line item of budget revenue, and that is worth keeping in mind for anyone assessing the risks of investing in the region's energy sector.
Meeting with Zelensky Was Not on the Schedule, but Happened Anyway
As of September 19, the White House had not included Zelensky on the list of Trump's bilateral meetings at the General Assembly, with priority given to Britain, Japan, the Gulf states, and Venezuela's acting president. Nevertheless, on the evening of September 22 the meeting took place at UN headquarters — Trump said he was ready to meet with Putin again and warned Zelensky of a "very bad scenario" for Ukraine in the absence of a deal. According to media reports, Trump was pushing for an "energy truce" — a mutual halt to strikes on energy infrastructure amid a sharp rise in global diesel prices. A telling detail: the Ukrainian leader was initially left off the schedule entirely, which speaks louder than words about Kyiv's actual place among Washington's current priorities.
Trump Signs "Sanctions from Hell" Against Russia, Then Immediately Promises Not to Rush Their Application
On September 21, Trump signed into law the "sanctions from hell" bill against Russia, championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The following day, speaking at the UN, he confirmed his readiness to use the new sanctions and tariff powers against Moscow "if necessary" — a formulation that leaves maximum room for maneuver. In parallel, the television networks CNN, MSNBC, and Politico filed suit against the Trump administration, defending their First Amendment rights. Legal and sanctions pressure is mounting on multiple fronts, both domestic and international, but no one has yet named a concrete timeline for applying the toughest instrument against Russia.
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