Trump says deciding between deal or driving Iran 'into hell'

US President Donald Trump told the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday that he had to choose whether to "annihilate" Iran if it fails to make a deal to end the Middle East war.

"Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?" Trump said, while adding that he believed an agreement was possible after US midterm elections in November.

“But I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” Trump said, according to CNN and Reuters.

He then claimed that the Iranians are waiting “to see how I do in the midterm election; what they don’t realize is that I’m not running.”

With the presidents of both countries present at the UN General Assembly in New York, Iran and the United States hinted on Tuesday at the prospect of reviving negotiations to end their conflict. Trump has already told his advisers he would like to arrange a meeting with Iranian officials at UNGA if “conditions are right,” a source told Reuters.

It is still unclear if Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian will meet in New York -- but should an encounter take place, the ramifications of this historic and unprecedented meeting would be groundbreaking, according to CNN analysts.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that there were no plans for the two leaders to meet directly, but that Iran's delegation had full authority to revive talks.

An engagement with Iran’s delegation is not scheduled, but the US is open to a meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.

‘Big decision’ to make after midterms

During his United Nations General Assembly remarks, Trump thanked the UN Security Council “for voting overwhelmingly to pass a resolution condemning Iran’s despicable terrorist attacks on commercial shipping.”

“Now we must be equally united in maintaining pressure,” he added.

According to the president, “the United States Navy has recently escorted more than 1 billion barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz, and more oil is flowing than at any point since the start of the war.”

Still, the president said, he has a “big decision to make” likely after the midterm elections.

“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” the president asked.

“But I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” Trump said.