President John Dramani Mahama has hit back at United States (US) President Donald Trump’s threat to “annihilate” Iran, telling world leaders at the United Nations (UN) that “no human civilisation deserves to be annihilated.”
He made the remark during his address to the 81st UN General Assembly, just two days after Trump used the word “annihilate” while warning Iran during his own address to the Assembly.
Trump had warned that the United States could “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if diplomatic efforts failed to resolve the dispute with Tehran.
A Notable Apparent Response
Although President Mahama did not explicitly mention Trump, the timing of his remarks — and his use of the same word Trump had used two days earlier — made his comments a notable apparent response, rejecting the idea of destroying an entire civilisation and calling instead for dialogue to resolve even the world’s most difficult conflicts.
“No human civilisation deserves to be annihilated, certainly not a member state of the United Nations. I believe that dialogue can resolve even the most intractable of problems,” he said.
Call for Sovereignty and Humanitarian Access
The President went on to call for respect for national sovereignty, the protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access in conflict zones.
Broader Agenda for Africa
President Mahama also used his address to advocate for a range of global reforms, including:
- Permanent African representation on the UN Security Council
- Reform of the global financial system
- Reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade
- Stronger climate financing for developing countries
- Greater African control over the processing of critical minerals
By Gifty Boateng