‘I’m not referring to anybody’ – Mahama clarifies ‘annihilation’ remark after Trump’s speech

President John Dramani Mahama has made it clear that his remark about no human civilization deserving annihilation was not aimed at any particular individual.

He provided this clarification on September 28, 2026, while speaking to the Council on Foreign Affairs. This was in response to a question from an American Press journalist regarding whether his comment during a recent United Nations speech was directed at US President Donald Trump.

In his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2026, President Mahama emphasized the importance of negotiations to address the Middle East crisis, reiterating that no civilization should face destruction.

His comment came two days after Trump, in his own UN address, warned that he could “annihilate the Islamic Republic” of Iran if no deal was reached.

In response to the question, however, President Mahama said his position was based on his study of history and appreciation of different civilisations.

“I am a student of history. Indeed, my first degree was in history, and I appreciate civilisations. I have studied Egyptian civilisation, Chinese civilisation, all civilisations in history, Roman civilisation, and Greek. I even did classics in my first year in university, classical history, so I studied Rome. I studied Carthage.

“And if anybody proposes a concept of annihilating a civilisation, it’s anathema to me, so I’m not referring to anybody, but my words were simple and could be understood. No civilisation deserves to be annihilated. That’s it, period,” he said.

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Trump, during his September 22, 2026, UN address, said he faced a choice between reaching a deal with Iran and destroying the Islamic Republic.

“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” he said.

He added: “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

In his UN address, Mahama called for dialogue to resolve conflicts, including the crisis involving Iran and Israel.

“The current Middle East crisis is having a deleterious effect on the world economy. We call for a return to the negotiating table. And let me add that 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. Across every conflict, whether in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, the standard must remain uniform: respect sovereign integrity, protect civilians, ensure unhindered humanitarian access, and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable,” President Mahama said.

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