'Terrific man' Shehbaz gets special mention during Trump's UNGA speech

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United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a “terrific man” during his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as he once again mentioned his role in ending the Pakistan-India conflict in May 2025.

During a speech that covered the conflict in Iran, artificial intelligence and criticism of the UN, Trump once again listed conflicts that he had played a role in ending.

“Since I took office, it has been my honour to help settle eight wars, and in so doing, become friendly with the leaders of many of those countries,” Trump said.

“It was a great honour to do it,” he added.

He highlighted that he had been able to settle these conflicts via his “great relations”, as well as the use of tariffs.

Listing off the countries, he noted “Pakistan and India” as a conflict he settled, alongside Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the Gaza conflict, among others. He noted that almost all of these countries had written him letters of thanks for his role.

“The prime minister of Pakistan — terrific man — said that Donald Trump was responsible for saving 30 million lives and probably many more than that,” he added.

Tensions between India and Pakistan had flared in April 2025 when a deadly terror attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir was, without evidence, blamed on Islamabad, which strongly refuted the allegations.

The two sides traded a series of tit-for-tat blows that ended in May with the declaration of a ceasefire by Trump, who has since repeatedly talked about his role in ending the military escalation between the two countries.

He has also praised Chief of the Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on several occasions, calling him a “highly respected general”, a “great fighter” and “my favourite”.

Trump warns he could ‘annihilate’ Iran without peace deal

Trump also used his speech to argue that the war with Iran prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and warn that he could “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if no deal is reached to end the conflict.

While predicting his administration would strike a peace deal with Iran following the November 3 US midterm elections, Trump called on other nations to join America in isolating Iran economically to force it to the negotiating table.

“I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” Trump said.

“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”

Trump added: “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations? But I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election.”

The remarks marked the latest justification Trump has offered for the war with Iran. He has previously cited a range of reasons for the February US-Israeli strikes, including Tehran’s nuclear programme, its support for regional proxy groups and the prospect of regime change.

Iran has consistently denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to. They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” Trump said in his speech.

“I call on all nations to help to enforce the complete economic isolation of Iran,” he said.

He also addressed other topics, noting that a deal between Russia and Ukraine to end Moscow’s invasion was possible in the near future.

“We’re working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, and we will get that one done. It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand. They’ve had it,” he said.

Calls for all nations to quit ‘rogue institution’ ICC

During his address, the US president also called for all nations that are part of the International Criminal Court to quit the body, calling it “out of control”.

“The United States is equally opposed to the out-of-control institution known as the International Criminal Court,” he said.

“I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately,” he added.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick”, describing the court as an “intolerable threat to US sovereignty”. The body tries individuals for the world’s worst crimes.

Washington has imposed a series of sanctions on ICC officials, furious at the court’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a close US ally.

Trump said Washington would “never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show-trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us”.

The United States is not an ICC member and has never ratified the Rome Statute that established the court. Israel, Russia and China are also not members.

Rejects international regulation of AI

Addressing the General Assembly, Trump firmly rejected calls for international supervision of artificial intelligence, calling them a “globalist scheme” to control the new technology.

He also announced that the US government would henceforth use the term “super intelligence” rather than “artificial intelligence” in its communications, hoping that the world would follow suit.

“It sounds much better” and “it’s much more accurate”, he added, musing on whether the rest of the world would adopt the term.

Trump also dismissed warnings from AI safety advocates, comparing them to warnings about climate change, whose human causes are affirmed by the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community.

“Every major new technology brings challenges, and super intelligence is no exception,” he said.

“The very same people who said we’ll all be dead in 12 years because of global warming… are now saying that AI is going to kill us all, that robots are going to attack us, and that everything is going to be a total disaster.”

Ahead of the week of meetings and speeches in New York, leaders of more than 20 countries urged binding safety measures for advanced artificial intelligence, warning that the technology’s development could outpace the ability to control it.

AI superpowers China and the US are not signatories.

Trump told the UN that the “United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control… artificial intelligence”. UN chief Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, called for the US and China to start a dialogue on the technology’s future akin to US-Soviet engagement at the height of the Cold War.

“Governments with the greatest AI capabilities have the greatest responsibilities to humanity, to establish channels for dialogue, transparency, trust and cooperation,” Guterres said in his address to the assembly.

“At a pivotal moment during the Cold War, strategic rivals came to recognise the need to manage shared existential risks.”

China and the US are currently discussing creating a communication channel for AI concerns in anticipation of a Washington summit meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Both powers confront rising fears that increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems could eventually escape human control, even as they race for technological supremacy.

Trump has come out strongly against AI safety measures, vowing on Saturday not to allow the “destruction” of the AI industry, a major driver of the US economy, over what he calls unjustified fears.

China’s President Xi Jinping in July said artificial intelligence should not be dominated by a single country and urged international cooperation on its development.

PM Shehbaz meets Kuwait’s crown prince

PM Shehbaz is also attending the UNGA session in New York, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The premier met with Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on Tuesday on the sidelines of the session.

He conveyed warm greetings to the crown prince and reaffirmed Pakistan’s brotherly relations with Kuwait, a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. It added that the two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and discussed avenues for further strengthening cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

PM Shehbaz “emphasised the importance Pakistan attaches to its relations with Kuwait and highlighted the potential for enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, energy and human resource development”. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international developments, reiterating their shared commitment to the promotion of “peace, stability and prosperity”.

The premier also met Kenyan President William Ruto on UNGA sidelines, discussed Pakistan-Kenya relations and expressed satisfaction at their positive trajectory, the PMO said.

He also met Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, according to an official statement.

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