Analyst Matt Spetalnick says Trump is expected to again claim victory at the UN,
repeating last year’s assertion that US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
“completely destroyed everything” and that he helped secure an Israel‑Iran
ceasefire. Months of US‑Iran hostilities, escalating regional violence and
unresolved Iranian nuclear risk have left partners more wary. Iran has refused
to yield and has impeded oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz; Houthi
forces have intensified control over Red Sea routes, seized islands near the Bab
al‑Mandeb entrance and added leverage over global oil flows, contributing to
higher energy prices. Gulf, European and Asian partners have largely rebuffed US
aid requests, raising questions about Washington’s capacity to protect regional
allies and putting additional domestic political pressure on the administration
amid elevated US gasoline prices ahead of the midterms. A senior US
administration official said Washington will continue to defend Red Sea
navigation and push regional partners to assume a greater security role.
