At the UN General Assembly sidelines, Trump pushes IMEC as an alternative energy route while again warning Iran of “annihilation.”
US President Donald Trump has voiced strong support for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), saying it would help shift energy infrastructure away from Iranian checkpoints. He made the remarks while addressing a multilateral meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
“Iran’s terrorist attacks on commercial shipping in neighbouring countries have shown the need to shift Middle East energy infrastructure away from the Iranian checkpoints,” Trump said.
“That is why my administration strongly supports the India-Middle East Economic Corridor and other places to get oil out, whether it is pipeline or anything else. Together we are on the verge of overcoming challenges that have plagued this region for a decade,” he added.
🚨 President #DonaldTrump has endorsed the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (#IMEC), calling it a strategic alternative to Iran-controlled routes. The India-led corridor aims to strengthen trade, connectivity, and energy security between Asia, the Gulf, and Europe. pic.twitter.com/Ebggs6nmWA
— SecureOps (@SecureO5) September 23, 2026
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor is an ambitious multinational, multi-modal connectivity and infrastructure initiative officially unveiled in September 2023 during the G20 Summit in New Delhi. India, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union signed a memorandum setting out plans for rail, shipping, energy and digital links.
The proposed corridor comprises an eastern route connecting India with the Gulf and a northern route connecting the Gulf with Europe. It includes a railway route designed to act as a cost-effective cross-border ship-to-rail transit network, supplementing existing maritime and road transport. Members also plan to lay a cable for energy and digital connectivity, along with a pipeline for clean hydrogen exports.
The corridor aims to boost connectivity, trade and sustainability across South Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It is also viewed as a strategic alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and to Iran-controlled chokepoints, with the potential to cut transit times between India and Europe by more than half by shortening trade routes, improving regional connectivity and encouraging closer economic integration across the three regions.
The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most significant maritime chokepoint — has driven a renewed surge of support for a new energy corridor.
IMEC, however, remains largely an expression of intent rather than concrete action, amid political dynamics stemming from the Iran and Gaza conflicts, regional security concerns and the challenges of cross-border coordination. According to the IMEC website, construction of key infrastructure components such as new rail lines, ports and highways has begun, though no major milestones or timelines have been specified.
Trump threatens Iran’s annihilation
Echoing his earlier remarks at the UN General Assembly, Trump once again warned Iran of annihilation. “We’ve isolated Iran financially, and hopefully they’ll do the right thing fast… There will be a time when it’s too late, and we won’t have the chance of letting them survive as a nation. I would like to see that, and I can tell you that people around this table would like to see it,” he said.
At the same time, Trump noted that the US Operation Midnight Hammer had obliterated Iran’s nuclear programme, which he said now lies “under mountains of rubble.”
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