Trump brands Assad as "criminal" in debut UN speech

US President Donald Trump sent a clear warning towards the Iranian and Syrian regimes in his speech at the UN on Tuesday.

He slammed the Iranian regime, saying that Tehran “must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbours.”

He added that the Iran deal, sealed by former US President Barack Obama in April 2015, branding it as “one of the worst US transactions ever”, in his speech, where he continued to pedal a hyper-nationalist and hawkish narrative.

"We can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a deal," he went on to say, branding the Tehran government as a "corrupt dictatorship" with full intent on destabilising the Middle East.

"The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country, with a rich history and culture, into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violent, bloodshed and chaos," he said.

As he spoke about Iran, he had also praised Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in combatting terrorism, as he recalled speaking to the Arab and Muslim summit in May as he called on leaders of Muslim countries to stop terrorism.

Trump had also staunchly condemned the Syrian regime for its human rights abuses, branding it as a “criminal regime”.

"The actions of the regime of Assad shocks the conscience of decent people across the nations”, he said, adding Assad’s use of chemical weapons amongst his people, especially children.

He also called for a “political solution that honours the will of the Syrian people".

On Islamic State (IS), Trump boasted about Washington's advances in defeating IS in Iraq and Syria, though gave no tangiable evidence to support this.

“Our country has achieved more against Isis in the last eight months” than the previous years combined under the Obama administration, Trump said.

He also thanked Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for hosting refugees as he spoke about how Washington and allies are working to "crush" terrorism.