Trump Returns to UN General Assembly Amid Iran War, AI Anxiety

A TENSE RETURN TO NEW YORK

President Donald Trump addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday at what the Associated Press described as a tumultuous moment for the world and for his presidency. The global economy has been shaken by his decision to launch a war against Iran, anxiety about the social impact of artificial intelligence is surging, and questions linger over the future of the United Nations itself as Trump scales back US financial support for the body.

Administration officials signaled Trump would use the speech to argue the world is better off under his leadership. "We expect the president will highlight how he has and his administration have confronted complex problems head-on around the world," Ambassador Mike Waltz, Trump's chief envoy to the UN, told reporters. Waltz also suggested Trump might revisit his long-held criticism of the UN, which he has called ineffectual on war and peace and accused of running a "con job" on climate change.

THE WAR WITH IRAN LOOMS LARGE

Trump returns to the General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a war against Iran he says is necessary to address a nuclear threat. Last year he claimed the US had "completely demolished" Iran's nuclear capabilities after ordering strikes on three key facilities in June 2025.

The conflict has grown more complicated even as strikes by the US and Israel have killed much of Iran's top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy, while a US blockade of Iranian oil has left Tehran in what the AP called economic shambles. Oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has improved with US Navy help guiding commercial vessels, but remains well below pre-war levels, and Brent crude continues hovering around $100 a barrel, up from roughly $70 before the war began. Saudi Arabia shuttered a key pipeline this month after it came under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq, and Houthi rebel activity near the Bab al-Mandab Strait has made that Red Sea shipping lane treacherous for oil carriers.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Monday that Qatar and other mediators are trying to bridge a "deep deficit of trust" between the US and Iran. "Either we sign a deal now or sign a deal 10 months away. The only difference is the number of dead and destruction that we see," he said at the Concordia Annual Summit.

A GREENLAND AGREEMENT AND OTHER MEETINGS

Trump's administration is set to sign an agreement on the sidelines of the General Assembly with Danish and Greenlandic leaders aimed at expanding the US military's footprint on Greenland, a deal that follows Trump's repeated threats to "take over" the Danish territory by force if necessary. Under the agreement, Greenland remains Danish territory. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told broadcaster TV2 Denmark she believed "we have reached a good agreement."

After his speech, Trump is expected to hold his first face-to-face meeting with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, along with talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a more informal meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez, according to the White House. He is also set to meet with leaders from Gulf Cooperation Council nations to discuss the Iran war and growing concern over Iran-backed rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE FRUSTRATION

Trump could also touch on Russia's continuing war against Ukraine, a conflict he predicted during his 2024 campaign would be resolved on "Day One" of his second term. He has expressed mounting frustration with both sides' continued strikes on energy infrastructure despite his claim to have gotten Russia and Ukraine to agree not to target each other's energy grids. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was willing to go along with the plan if Russia abided by it; Russia said it could only agree if Western energy sanctions on Moscow were lifted first.

"Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine," Trump posted on social media Monday, before departing for New York. "This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended."

WHY IT MATTERS

Trump's foreign policy approach, particularly the decision to go to war with Iran, has become a drag on his fellow Republicans' hopes of holding both chambers of Congress in next year's midterm elections, according to the AP. His UN address, and the string of high-stakes meetings surrounding it, will be watched closely for signs of how far he is willing to go to resolve the Iran conflict and whether any of his announced deals, from Greenland to a Russia-Ukraine energy truce, can actually hold.