Trump gets Iran ire on agreement

IRAN’S president warned yesterday that his country would “respond decisively” to any violation of the agreement that reins in its nuclear program and called President Donald Trump’s “ignorant, absurd and hateful rhetoric” about Iran unfit for the United Nations.

In remarks clearly directed at Trump’s eight-month-old administration, Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani told the UN General Assembly: “It will be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by rogue newcomers to the world of politics.”

“The world will have lost a great opportunity, but such unfortunate behavior will never impede Iran’s course of progress and advancement,” Mr Rouhani said.

As he spoke to the assembly, other nations began signing the first treaty to ban nuclear weapons.

Fifty states put their names on the nuclear weapons pact by the end of the day. Guyana, the Vatican and Thailand also have already ratified the treaty, which would take effect if 50 nations take that step.

The UN Security Council, meanwhile, approved a resolution supporting efforts to reform the world body’s far-flung peacekeeping operations. US Vice President Mike Pence joined the discussion on a Trump administration priority, applauding the resolution and saying all peacekeeping missions should have an exit strategy.

“When a mission succeeds, we must not prolong it. When a mission underperforms, we should restructure it. And when a mission consistently fails to fulfill a mandate of this council, we should end it,” he said.