Trump Addresses UN General Assembly as Iran Tensions Escalate; US Envoys Meet Iranian Delegation
President Trump addressed the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 22, discussing U.S. foreign policy amid escalating tensions with Iran. The same day, U.S. envoys met with Iranian delegates, with Trump saying the meeting went well.
UN General Assembly Convenes Amid Global Tensions
World leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, with the climate crisis and escalating wars in Europe, Africa and the Middle East topping the agenda. President Trump took center stage with an address to the General Assembly. Trump addressed the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 22, 2026.
Iran-U.S. Diplomatic Engagement
A spokesman for the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard warned that Iran would "change the geography of the war" if the United States escalated the conflict, saying the war was "not over" and warning that the Revolutionary Guard had prepared for a long-term war. However, diplomatic channels remained open. According to reporting on the same day, Trump stated that U.S. envoys met with an Iranian delegation for three hours, with Trump saying "it went very well."
War Crimes Allegations and Middle East Escalation
Trump's speech comes as a U.N.-commissioned fact-finding mission on Iran presented a report to the Human Rights Council finding the U.S. was likely responsible for war crimes in two strikes on February 28. One assault on a sports center in the Iranian city of Lamerd killed and injured 22 civilians, while a second strike targeted a school in Minab. Meanwhile, the Iran-aligned Houthis pushed to seize strategic heights to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Press Freedom Under Strain
CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued Trump after the networks were suspended from the White House. The Washington Bureau Chief at Fox News told pool members the "TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President." The White House press pool is a rotation of news outlets who cover the president when he travels or conducts events in spaces too small for the entire press corps. Trump was inaudible during a press conference as a result of the suspended coverage.