VOA Focus Today (September 23, 2026): Trump Warns Iran at UNGA That Without an Agreement, the U.S. May Step Up Military Action

According to the VOA Today's Focus program, U.S. President Trump warned Iran at the United Nations General Assembly that the U.S. might take military action if no agreement is reached. He also discussed the competition in artificial intelligence and called on the international community to isolate Iran. The program also focused on human rights and religious freedom issues in China, with the former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and the released Pastor Kim Min-ho calling for international attention. Furthermore, on the eve of the U.S.-China leadership summit, U.S. lawmakers reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, and experts warned that guardrails must be established for U.S.-China economic competition. The program also reported on the case of American scholar Min Xing, who is being illegally detained by China, and the support from U.S., Japanese, and South Korean foreign ministers for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Video Link:

Full Text:

Welcome to VOA Today's Focus for September 23. I am Huang Yaoyi, broadcasting live from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Today's Focus brings you the latest developments in the U.S. and around the world in 15 minutes every day, and is broadcast simultaneously on YouTube, Facebook, X, and other platforms. You can also listen via radio. Here are today's top stories.

President Trump spoke at the UN General Assembly, warning Iran that if an agreement cannot be reached, the U.S. may take further military action. With the Trump-Xi summit approaching, lawmakers told VOA that supporting Taiwan's ability to maintain its own access remains a key issue for Washington. On the eve of the Trump-Xi summit, U.S. think tank experts warned that guardrails should be established for U.S.-China economic competition.

U.S. President Trump delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, with the Iran issue being one of the cores of his address. Below is a report from VOA reporters Xu Xiangyun and Jiudao from the UN General Assembly in New York.

U.S. President Trump delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Sunday morning, and the Iran issue was a core topic of his address. President Trump stated that the U.S. will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, and he sent two different messages to Iran. He said that if Iran does not accept an agreement, the U.S. could launch a military attack on Iran, while also expressing hope that negotiations could help Iran rebuild its country. Let's listen to what President Trump said: But I face a major decision: will we reach an agreement with Iran to let them rebuild their country, build a country far better than ever before, perhaps becoming one of the best countries in the Middle East or even the world, or will I completely destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran and take action quickly, never giving them the chance to kill again or destroy other people and countries. Do I want to send them to hell, leaving them with no chance of survival, and leaving their future and descendants with no hope of prosperity? But I hope we will reach an agreement after the election, because it makes no sense for them not to do so.

In his speech, President Trump also touched upon the competition in artificial intelligence, stating that the current AI competition has entered the stage of superintelligence, and the U.S. is significantly ahead of China and other countries and will continue to maintain that lead. President Trump also called on countries around the world to join the U.S. in imposing economic isolation on Iran. VOA reporters Xu Xiangyun and Jiudao reporting from New York.

As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, China's religious freedom and human rights issues are once again under the spotlight. Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback told Voice of America that China's oppression of religion and minority groups should not be viewed as a purely domestic matter. He stated that this transnational repression has extended beyond China's borders, even affecting overseas individuals living in the United States and their families in China. Brownback also cited Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights regarding religious freedom, arguing that these issues involve international obligations that China has undertaken. Let's see what he had to say: What they call a domestic issue is actually a treaty they have signed and have international obligations under, and they are completely failing to fulfill these obligations. Furthermore, whenever they do this, they continue to extend this oppression abroad. So, if a Uyghur in the United States speaks out against the Chinese Communist Party, they will arrest that person's family in Xinjiang. This is using the international system to oppress people in your own country, and it is no longer a domestic issue because it has extended to the international level. Moreover, today you hear many people talking about transnational repression, which is the Chinese Communist Party entering our free society to oppress people here. This cannot be tolerated, this cannot continue, and this is no longer China's domestic issue.

Pastor Kim Min-ho, who was detained by the Chinese government for 266 days and released this July through the mediation of President Trump, stated that although China supports some major religions at the policy level, the rights of faith groups are still not fully guaranteed in actual implementation. He called on the international community to pay attention to the plight of faith groups in China and urged Beijing to release those detained for their religious beliefs. Let's see what he had to say: China has all kinds of religions, and its policies specifically support the world's major religions. But the problem is that when it comes to specific implementation, governments at all levels cannot effectively implement the protection of the rights of faith groups. In recent years, from a Christian perspective, many churches have been closed, and our pastors and co-workers have been arrested. I currently have eight co-workers still in prison. Recently, several pastors in various cities have also been arrested one after another. I hope the international community knows about this situation and can do whatever they can to help China achieve religious freedom as soon as possible.

President Trump is expected to hold a U.S.-China summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday. As the U.S.-China leaders' summit approaches, whether there will be changes to U.S. policy toward Taiwan has once again attracted attention. Several bipartisan members of Congress recently told Voice of America that there has been no change in current U.S. policy toward Taiwan, and supporting Taiwan's ability to maintain its own defense remains an important issue for Washington. Below is an interview report from VOA reporter Li Yihua on Capitol Hill.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24. As the U.S.-China leaders' summit approaches, whether U.S. policy toward Taiwan has changed has become one of the focuses of attention from all walks of life. Several bipartisan members of Congress told Voice of America that they believe U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed, and that U.S. defense support for Taiwan remains very important and has achieved bipartisan consensus. We must make it clear that we will defend Taiwan's independence. There is no change in policy toward Taiwan; it is to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. The military support provided during President Trump's term is more than what was provided during Joe Biden's entire four-year term. Therefore, from this perspective, his actions have greatly supported Taiwan's self-defense capabilities. And our policy is precisely to ensure peace and freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait. Recently, China has taken a series of worrying aggressive actions against Taiwan, and I think the United States must stand with our friends and make it clear to President Xi that we will never accept these aggressive actions. These actions are unacceptable. So we will wait and see the results of the summit, but I think this is undoubtedly another issue that should be prioritized. No, I don't think anything has changed. I think Taiwan is clearly a vital partner; it is our fourth-largest trading partner, more than 90% of the world's advanced semiconductors are manufactured on the island of Taiwan, and 60% of international trade passes through the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, we must ensure Taiwan's security, and we must repel any attempt by China to interfere with Taiwan.

Currently, the United States is reviewing a batch of arms sales to Taiwan totaling approximately $14 billion. Some experts believe that, in the face of Beijing's continuously increasing military activities, the U.S. should continue arms sales to Taiwan to maintain stability across the Taiwan Strait. Most importantly, China has changed the status quo of the Taiwan Strait and has consistently advanced its military investment and expansion. I believe maintaining balance and stability is crucial for us, and I hope the President and our other allies can make meaningful contributions to this and support deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. Whether this arms sale will eventually be approved still depends on the Trump administration. As the leaders of the U.S. and China are about to meet, all sectors are also watching how Washington will balance stabilizing U.S.-China relations without altering the long-standing deterrence balance in the Taiwan Strait. Voice of America reporter Li Yihua reporting from Capitol Hill.

In addition to Taiwan, another focus of outside attention regarding the upcoming Trump-Xi meeting is U.S.-China economic relations. Experts at Washington think tanks have warned that the U.S.-China supply chains are deeply intertwined, and economic competition should have guardrails to avoid the risk of misjudgment and accidental escalation.

How do we prevent the situation from accidentally escalating into an unintended conflict? Jeffrey Schott, a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, proposed three major policy guardrails for the upcoming U.S.-China summit to prevent bilateral relations from falling into endless confrontation. He stated that, first, both sides should enhance policy transparency and reduce suspicions of intent. Second, they should clarify countermeasure rules, establishing preconditions and decision-making processes for economic retaliation to prevent things from getting out of control. Third, they should draw clear boundaries between national security and the economy to ensure that normal economic and trade activities and critical supplies can still flow safely during times of crisis. He pointed out that the supply chains of the two countries are intertwined, and the biggest risk of U.S.-China economic confrontation is an escalation that neither side anticipated. These interconnections mean that restricting the export of any single raw material or component will create chain reactions across different industries, cross borders to affect third-party enterprises, and even drag third-party countries into the mix. This intertwined supply chain relationship also brings another layer of risk to Chinese investment. Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, used graphite as an example to point out that the supply dependence on critical minerals is a risk. At a time when export restrictions may be weaponized—especially regarding critical minerals crucial for electric vehicle batteries—how do we ensure that allowing Chinese investment will not turn it into another tool used against us? He also warned that if Chinese automobiles are introduced into the U.S. market, Chinese enterprises may involve government subsidies behind the scenes, leading to unfair competition. Due to the nature of China's economic system, there are fundamental differences that we must consider. Europe has already begun issuing relevant regulations to deal with these issues. What should be done when Chinese private enterprises indirectly benefit from domestic subsidies in China, thereby causing unfair competition in your domestic market? Finding a balance between national security competition and economic interdependence and establishing a predictable communication mechanism will be an important observation indicator for this summit. Voice of America reporter Wang Yuhe reporting from Washington.

As the Trump-Xi meeting approaches, Sylvia Xing, the wife of Myint Swe, a Myanmar-American scholar determined by the U.S. Department of State to have been wrongfully detained in China, revealed in an exclusive interview with VOA on September 17 that U.S. consular officials visited Myint Swe for the fourth time on September 15. Sylvia Xing earnestly pleaded with President Trump to bring up Myint Swe's case at the summit. Let's see what she said: I want to thank the U.S. government for designating this case as wrongful detention, but unfortunately, this work is not finished until my husband comes home safely. I will ask him to bring up this issue at the summit until my husband is released and comes home. U.S. consular officials' most recent visit was on September 15, which was the fourth visit. Myint Swe's mental state is very good, he cares about us, me and our daughter, he is trying to exercise to stay healthy, and he can't wait to come home.

Sylvia Xing also emphasized that Myint Swe deeply values opportunities for exchange with Chinese scholars to help resolve issues within Myanmar. She said this is why Myint Swe decided to accept the invitation to go to China for an academic conference. Let's hear what she said: He has focused on Myanmar-related issues since he was 14 years old; you could say he has done this his entire life. His interest in China is because China is a powerful neighbor of Myanmar, yes, and nothing more. His interest stops right there. Because of this, he went to China to communicate with scholars and was invited to attend various seminars because he firmly believes this is the necessary path for the future. Of course, after all, we are a family of three—counting our dog, a family of four—and with one person missing, the feeling is very obvious. He is the chatterbox of the family; in the past, whenever he came home, he would tell me about his day and various situations. These days, the house has become very quiet, we love him, and we are waiting for him to come home.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Monday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The three expressed support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, opposed any unilateral change to the status quo, and supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations. A joint statement issued after the meeting emphasized trilateral cooperation to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity, realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, and uphold shared principles including the rule of law.

That concludes today's VOA Focus program. Thank you very much for watching. Welcome to visit the Voice of America Chinese website for the latest satellite information; our website is VOAChinese.com. I am Huang Yaoyi. Thank you for watching, and see you next time.