Trump at UN: Victor's Right to Seize Resources in War

President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly that the victor in war has the right to seize a defeated nation's resources, explicitly linking a January US military operation in Venezuela to a deal granting American control over its oil wealth. Trump defended the Venezuela intervention and oil agreement as a direct consequence of military victory, claiming the US and Venezuela together control over 60 percent of the world's oil. He also threatened to "obliterate" Iran if it does not agree to a deal, and asserted the US will use military force to protect its national interests globally. Trump's speech, which also attacked the International Criminal Court and rejected international AI regulation, contradicts the UN Charter's prohibition on unilateral force and its founding principles of peaceful dispute resolution. His remarks are seen as an attempt to bolster his domestic support, which has fallen to 32 percent.