US President Donald Trump has said he faces a choice between reaching a deal with Iran and taking military action against the Islamic Republic if an agreement to end the conflict cannot be reached.

Trump made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he described the situation with Iran as a major decision.

“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, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?” 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? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

Despite the threat, Trump said he believed an agreement with Iran could still be reached after the US midterm elections in November.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” he said, adding that he believed Iranian leaders were waiting to see how his Republican Party performs in the elections.

Trump, however, maintained that the midterm elections would not determine his approach to Iran, noting that he himself was not on the ballot.

“What they don’t realize is that I’m not running. I did that already, and won in a landslide,” he said.

Trump also called on other countries to support economic pressure on Iran, urging what he described as the “complete economic isolation” of the country until it meets US demands.

His remarks came amid continued efforts and conflicting signals over the possibility of renewed US-Iran negotiations. Reuters reported that an Iranian official had indicated a willingness to revive diplomacy, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained open to talks if they could produce a positive outcome.