Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New York on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, leading a slimmed-down Iranian delegation into one of the most consequential weeks of his presidency. He is expected to take the General Assembly podium on Wednesday morning, where — by his own account before departure from Tehran — he will convey "our positions, our grievances, and our strength to the world."
The 81st session of the General Assembly has become, almost by accident, an Iran summit. Within hours of Pezeshkian's arrival, Trump revealed that American and Iranian delegations had held a secretly arranged three-hour meeting on the UNGA sidelines, with another round already scheduled. The U.S. side was led by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with Pakistan and Qatar acting as mediators shuttling between the two delegations, according to reporting by The New York Times citing two Iranian officials. It is the first known high-level contact between the two countries since the ceasefire and memorandum framework collapsed in July.
Hours later, Trump used his 37-minute address to the General Assembly to present Tehran with what he framed as a binary choice: a deal, or "annihilate the Islamic Republic" and "drive them into hell." The Iranian delegation walked out of the hall during the speech.
Why this week matters
The twin tracks — negotiation and threat — are not contradictory so much as they are Trump's signature pressure formula. The president predicted a deal would come "right after the election," arguing Tehran is waiting on the November 3 midterm results because "I'm not running." He vowed he would "never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," claimed Operation Midnight Hammer had "obliterated their nuclear program beneath mountains of rubble," and said Operation Epic Fury destroyed Iran's navy.
What makes this UNGA different from last year's is the calendar of hard deadlines surrounding it. The United Nations Security Council "snapback" of sanctions on Iran took effect after the expiry of Resolution 2231, a step Tehran — along with China and Russia — has declared "null and void" but which Western capitals are enforcing anyway. On September 9, the IAEA Board of Governors passed a U.S.- and E3-backed resolution, 23 votes to 3 with 8 abstentions, moving Iran's nuclear file toward the Security Council. And on September 14, Austria revoked the visa of Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami, blocking him from an IAEA conference in Vienna — a move Iran called a violation of host-country obligations.
For Pezeshkian, a reformist physician who won the 2024 runoff promising outreach to the West, the stakes are existential for his presidency. Hard-liners in Tehran control the commanding heights of the system; if his diplomatic track produces nothing while sanctions tighten, his political room collapses. For Trump, an Iran deal would cap a year in which he has claimed credit for ending wars and now touts a 20-point Gaza peace plan — while failure risks a return to open conflict in the Gulf.
What to watch next
Wednesday morning — Pezeshkian's speech. Expect grievances about the June war, the collapsed negotiations, and the "mistrust" he says adversaries created, plus a defense of Iran's nuclear rights. Watch whether he leaves the door open to the next round of talks.
The second round of secret talks. Trump said another session is scheduled. Witkoff wrote that mediators "will continue their work." Iranian state media says the first meeting happened at Witkoff's request.
The Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has set Tehran's conditions for reopening the strait: an immediate lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. U.S. officials counter that Tehran's Hormuz leverage is diminishing.
Thursday — Netanyahu's address. Israel's prime minister plans a brief New York visit and an Iran-focused Thursday speech that aides say will include "surprises."
Live updates
Iran downplays the UNGA-sideline talks as "nothing new"; Trump calls meeting "very productive." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Wednesday that Tehran maintained its negotiating stance in the indirect talks with U.S. officials, demanding an end to the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and the release of Iran's frozen assets. Baghaei confirmed the interaction took place through Qatari mediators in New York, adding: "This was not anything new." Separately, Trump told reporters that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner "had a very productive meeting today with mediators of Iran, merely mediators," saying he sees "a lot of momentum for them to make a deal."
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters.
Pezeshkian delivers defiant UNGA address, casting Iran as a "victim of terrorism." The Iranian president told the General Assembly that "the United States president described us as terrorists" while insisting Iran has "been the victim of terrorism," blaming the US and Israel for regional instability. On the nuclear file he said Iran seeks energy "for progress, not to threaten society with bombs," adding that "for 200 years, Iran has not attacked any country, we've only defended ourselves." Holding a portrait of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he declared "we will never bow our heads or bend at the knee," warned that "we either all live in security, or we will have to live in insecurity together," and said Tehran would not surrender or reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the US and Israel meet its demands. The Washington Post described the address as a defiant reply to Trump's "annihilate" threat; the New York Post reported the lone US delegate walked out of the hall during the speech.
Sources: New York Post, Washington Post (via Political Wire), Inshorts.
Rubio says the New York talks yielded no major breakthrough; the earlier U.S.–Iran MoU is "no longer on the cards." Following Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's defiant UN General Assembly address on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the indirect session between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff produced no major breakthrough, and indicated the Memorandum of Understanding reached earlier this year is off the table, according to CNN. Rubio also blasted Pezeshkian's speech: "I don't know what standing Iran has to lecture anyone on human rights or the international system when they habitually violate it."
Sources: CNN, Associated Press.
Iranian hard-liners assail the New York diplomacy; Tehran's security chief says Washington must move first. Hard-line lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei demanded that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi explain "on which authorization" his meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff was conducted, while other hard-liners criticized Pezeshkian for attending the New York talks at all, CNN reported. Around the same time, Supreme National Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei told state media Iran will adopt a new framework in which "the era of rhetoric and negotiations for their own sake has come to an end" — any future talks, or reopening the Strait of Hormuz, will require Washington to first fully implement Tehran's conditions as a precondition.
Sources: CNN, Iranian state media.
Ship targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, one person killed, Oman says. Oman's Maritime Security Center said a vessel was targeted near the strait, killing one person, while the UK Maritime Trade Operations center advised ships to "transit with caution," CNN reported. The incident coincided with Pezeshkian's UN address and the New York back-channel talks — a reminder of how quickly the maritime front can flare alongside the diplomacy.
Sources: CNN, Oman Maritime Security Center, UKMTO.
One sailor killed as cargo ship is struck in Strait of Hormuz; 27 crew evacuated. The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao was hit by an unknown projectile at around 6:30 a.m. UTC Wednesday while transiting the strait, leaving the vessel on fire and adrift with the crew forced to abandon ship. Oman's Maritime Security Center said 27 crew members were evacuated and one — an Indian national, confirmed by India's embassy in Oman — was killed. Lloyd's List reported the vessel was not on Iran's list of vessels deemed "non-compliant" by its Persian Gulf Strait Authority. No group immediately claimed responsibility; India condemned the continuing assaults on commercial vessels in the waterway.
Sources: Reuters, UK Maritime Trade Operations, Oman's Maritime Security Center, Lloyd's List.
Witkoff and Kushner communicated with Araghchi through Qatari mediators Wednesday; no shift in positions. Reuters reported that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi through Qatari mediators on Wednesday — not face-to-face — and that neither side announced a change in its negotiating position. Iranian officials said Tehran set out its conditions for revived negotiations, including an end to the blockade, release of Iranian oil revenues held overseas under U.S. sanctions, and an end to U.S. aggression. Mediators including Qatar, other Gulf states, and Pakistan are pressing for fresh talks in the coming days.
Sources: Reuters, gCaptain.
Netanyahu slashes New York trip to a few hours amid expected protests; his Thursday UNGA speech will center on Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to land in the US on Thursday morning, address the General Assembly at 2 p.m. New York time, and fly back to Israel that evening without spending the night in the country, the Jerusalem Post reported, with earlier plans for a longer trip dropped. His official aircraft is expected to land in New Jersey rather than at JFK airport, and Israeli journalists will not travel aboard, Ynet reported — part of heightened security amid expected street protests and a potentially hostile reception inside the UN hall, where delegates walked out during his speech last year. Aides say the address will focus heavily on Iran and include "surprises."
Sources: Jerusalem Post, Ynet, Wall Street Journal.
India names the sailor killed in the Hormuz ship attack; seafarers' union says vessel was hit twice. The Forward Seamen's Union of India identified the crew member killed aboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao as Suraj Yadav, a wiper from Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, the Hindustan Times reported. The union says the vessel was struck twice on its port side — a claim authorities have not verified — and is demanding India deploy naval protection for civilian seafarers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. India's embassy in Oman confirmed 19 Indian nationals were among the crew and said it is coordinating with Omani authorities.
Sources: Forward Seamen's Union of India, Hindustan Times, Indian embassy in Oman.
Iranian opposition demonstrators rallied outside UN headquarters during Pezeshkian's speech. Iranian-Americans and supporters of Iranian opposition groups gathered outside the United Nations in New York on Wednesday as Pezeshkian delivered his address inside, pressing governments at the gathering to focus on executions, political imprisonment, and repression in Iran, SCN News reported. Associated Press photographs from the scene showed demonstrators protesting against the Iranian government while the president was addressing world leaders.
Sources: SCN News, Associated Press.
No Trump meeting expected as Netanyahu flies in for Thursday UNGA address; Mamdani feud takes center stage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to meet US President Donald Trump during his hours-long Thursday visit to New York — a senior US official told Reuters their schedules do not overlap, with Netanyahu arriving only after Trump has left the city. Reuters reports Netanyahu will use his General Assembly address to berate New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for calling him a war criminal; in a video statement this week he addressed the mayor directly, saying he was coming to New York "to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers" and "to tell the truth about you." Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren told Reuters he expects the address to resemble a "campaign speech" aimed at the Israeli public five weeks before the October 27 election. Netanyahu is due to arrive early Thursday and fly back to Israel the same day after delivering his afternoon speech.
Sources: Reuters.
No Trump meeting expected as Netanyahu flies in for Thursday UNGA address; Mamdani feud takes center stage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to meet US President Donald Trump during his hours-long Thursday visit to New York — a senior US official told Reuters their schedules do not overlap, with Netanyahu arriving only after Trump has left the city. Reuters reports Netanyahu will use his General Assembly address to berate New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for calling him a war criminal; in a video statement this week he addressed the mayor directly, saying he was coming to New York "to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers" and "to tell the truth about you." Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren told Reuters he expects the address to resemble a "campaign speech" aimed at the Israeli public five weeks before the October 27 election. Netanyahu is due to arrive early Thursday and fly back to Israel the same day after delivering his afternoon speech.
Sources: Reuters.
Pezeshkian rewrote his UNGA speech after Trump's "annihilate" threat; address drew rare praise across Iranian media, even from hardline outlets. CNN reported that the Iranian president discarded the speech he had prepared before traveling to New York in response to Trump's Tuesday remarks, and that his defiant Wednesday address — holding firm on Iran's nuclear program, missile defenses, and control of the Strait of Hormuz — received near unanimous praise in Iranian media, including hardline publications that rarely back a reformist president.
Sources: CNN.
Netanyahu lines up a packed Thursday bilateral schedule in New York; his team is discussing a possible meeting with Rubio. Reuters reported the Israeli prime minister's office says he will meet the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama and Ethiopia, the vice president of Colombia, and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia and Papua New Guinea on Thursday, and that his team is discussing potentially holding meetings with senior US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, though nothing has been set. Reuters also reported that Mamdani — whom Netanyahu plans to berate in his General Assembly address — this week called him "the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians," and that Netanyahu falsely accused the mayor of supporting Hamas militants.
Sources: Reuters.
Netanyahu lands in New York for Thursday UNGA address; no Trump meeting on the schedule. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in New York to deliver his General Assembly address at 2 p.m. Eastern time (9 p.m. Israel time), capping a trip lasting only a few hours on the ground. His office says he will hold sideline meetings with the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Ethiopia, the vice president of Colombia, and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia, and Papua New Guinea — but not with President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, or any Arab leaders — and will return to Israel before the start of Sukkot at sundown Friday. Reports citing the Times of Israel say the speech will focus on three issues: Iran, West Bank terrorism, and the Gaza war.
Sources: Associated Press (via SRN News), Times of Israel, Ynet.
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted six Houthi missiles targeting Yanbu and Taif. Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said Thursday that the kingdom's air defenses intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, targeting the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and the southwestern city of Taif. The Associated Press noted it could not independently verify the Saudi claim.
Sources: Associated Press (via SRN News), Saudi military.
Iran's security chief threatens to paralyze airports of neighbors that ground Iranian flights. Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei told state TV that if neighboring countries cooperate with the United States by stopping Iranian flights, Tehran will "ensure their airports cannot function," Reuters reported. The warning follows Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's deadline after which foreign firms servicing Iranian carriers face secondary sanctions — a step Iran's semi-official media say has already disrupted Tehran–Baghdad and Tehran–Muscat flights.
Sources: Reuters.
Senior Iranian official: US and Iran "still far apart," but diplomacy continues. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that Tehran is reviewing Washington's response to its peace proposals, which prioritize lifting the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. "There are still many differences between the Iranian and US positions, but diplomacy is continuing," the official said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the same day that a deal would involve hard work over time and that President Trump keeps military options on the table.
Sources: Reuters.
India formally condemns the Hormuz ship attack; killed seafarer is its 11th in the waterway crisis. India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that an Indian seafarer was killed when the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao was attacked off Oman's coast on Wednesday, said 19 of the 20 Indian crew aboard were rescued, and called the continuing attacks on commercial shipping "deeply worrisome." New Delhi called for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate, said the targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure "must end," and urged that free and unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz be restored "at the earliest." Indian officials say Suraj Yadav, the wiper killed aboard the Cape Dao, is the 11th Indian seafarer killed in Strait of Hormuz attacks since the regional crisis began.
Sources: Indian Ministry of External Affairs, TBS News.
Netanyahu delivers UNGA address under mass walkout; calls Iran attack "one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make." As the Israeli prime minister took the podium on Thursday, dozens of delegates walked out of the General Assembly hall, the Palestinian mission to the UN having urged delegations to do so. Netanyahu denounced those who left as "moral cowards" and invited anyone else who felt that way to leave before he began. In his address he tore into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of making the city unsafe for Jews. Ahead of the speech, several demonstrators — including actress Susan Sarandon and New York congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier — were detained by the NYPD for blocking a roadway near the UN.
Sources: Reuters, New York Post.
Bessent's global airline shutdown takes effect today; Iraq suspends Iranian flights to Baghdad. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's threat that all Iranian airlines will be shut down worldwide takes effect Wednesday: foreign companies providing fuel, landing services, or ticket sales to Iranian carriers face secondary sanctions and exclusion from the U.S. dollar system. Reuters reported Tuesday that Iraq ordered its civil aviation authority to suspend Iranian flights to Baghdad airport starting Wednesday, with flights possibly diverted to Najaf. Iran's semi-official Tasnim and ISNA reported Tehran–Baghdad and Tehran–Muscat flights canceled from Wednesday, with Iranian travelers "not currently being admitted" at the Muscat airport.
Sources: Reuters, CNBC (Bessent interview), Al Jazeera, Tasnim, ISNA.
Iran's delegation has "full authority" to negotiate; Tehran calls UNGA a "golden opportunity." A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that the New York delegation can revive talks without new authorization from Tehran, calling the General Assembly "a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy." The official said Iran sent its latest proposal to Washington through mediators on September 16, and that Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf shipping within seven days if the US eases military pressure and lifts its blockade of Iranian ports. "The US needs to announce that it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically, make that official, and then agree on a timeline for how the process will move forward," the official said.
Sources: Reuters (via multiple outlets), Al Jazeera.
White House clarifies Trump did not attend the Iran talks; Rubio says US open to speaking with Iranians. Al Jazeera reported that after Trump's comments created confusion over who participated, the White House clarified that the president himself did not attend the UNGA-sideline session — envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner represented the US. Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC's Today show the US is open to speaking with Iranian officials at the General Assembly, "especially if it has the prospects of leading to something positive and ultimately achieving the goal of what this is all about." Trump later said talks were continuing and that he believed a settlement would eventually be reached.
Sources: Al Jazeera, NBC News.
Trump reveals secret three-hour U.S.–Iran meeting on UNGA sidelines. The president told reporters during his press availability with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy that American and Iranian delegations met for three hours starting around 10 a.m. Tuesday, calling the session "very good" and "very productive." The U.S. side was led by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; The New York Times, citing two Iranian officials, reports Pakistan and Qatar served as mediators. Trump framed Tehran's choice as "potential greatness or obliteration" and said another round is already scheduled — the first known high-level contact since the July ceasefire framework collapsed.
Sources: NY Post, USA Today, The New York Times (via Iranian officials).
Witkoff calls talks "constructive and promising"; Araghchi states Iran's terms. Witkoff posted on X that mediators "shuttled between the two sides throughout the day" and "will continue their work." Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said the meeting took place at Witkoff's request and confirmed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met the U.S. envoy. Araghchi reiterated Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz: immediate lifting of the naval blockade, release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Sources: Al Jazeera, IRIB/Iranian state media, ANI.
Trump's UNGA speech: deal or "annihilate the Islamic Republic." In a 37-minute address to the General Assembly, Trump said he faces a "big decision" on Iran — a deal, or to "annihilate the Islamic Republic" and "drive them into hell." He vowed he would "never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," claimed Operation Midnight Hammer "obliterated their nuclear program beneath mountains of rubble" and that Operation Epic Fury destroyed Iran's navy, and predicted a deal would come "right after the election" because Tehran is waiting on the November 3 midterms. The Iranian delegation stormed out of the hall; Cuban officials also walked out over his remarks.
Sources: NY Post, USA Today, Newsmax.
Pezeshkian arrives in New York; UNGA address set for Wednesday morning. Iran's president landed Tuesday for the 81st General Assembly, where he is scheduled to speak Wednesday morning. His office says the speech will focus on Iran's war grievances, alleged crimes by adversaries, and broken trust in international institutions. He is also expected to hold sideline bilateral meetings with world leaders and sessions with Iranian expatriates and U.S. think tanks.
Sources: CNN, ANI, Press TV.
Pre-departure: Pezeshkian vows to "firmly defend" Iran's positions, accuses U.S. of blocking Iran's voice. Before leaving Tehran, Pezeshkian said the UNGA is where Iran will convey "our positions, our grievances, and our strength to the world," and pledged to speak of "the crimes committed by our enemies, and the mistrust they have created" after repeated negotiations failed. He also protested the U.S. refusal to grant visas to Iran's media and public-relations delegation.
Sources: Press TV, AFP.
U.S. admits only a slimmed-down Iranian delegation under travel curbs. The State Department confirmed that "consistent with our host country obligations," the core Iranian delegation — Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Araghchi — may attend, but faces tight movement restrictions and prohibitions on luxury-goods purchases under sanctions policy. Araghchi arrived Monday; Pezeshkian traveled Tuesday. U.S. officials said the president would be shuttled from JFK directly to the UN complex under a tightly confined movement zone.
Sources: CNN, U.S. State Department.
No Trump–Netanyahu meeting planned; Iran to dominate Trump's GCC multilateral. Senior U.S. officials said no sit-down between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled during UNGA week, but Iran is a "key topic" of Trump's meeting with Gulf leaders. Trump's Tuesday schedule also included bilaterals with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Trump will stress that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon; officials added that sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong entities aiding Iran's oil revenue will continue.
Sources: NY Post, Associated Press reporting, Ambassador Mike Waltz.
Netanyahu heads to New York for Thursday UN speech, teases "surprises" on Iran. Israel's prime minister plans a brief New York visit — landing at a New Jersey military airfield, no overnight stay, no Trump meeting — with an Iran-focused Thursday address that aides say will include "surprises." In a video posted Tuesday he attacked New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani over past calls to arrest him under the ICC warrant, vowing to "tell the truth about you" in his UN speech. Pro-Palestinian protests are expected around the visit.
Sources: NY Post, Washington Examiner.
Anti-regime rally outside UN headquarters. Demonstrators organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran rallied outside the UN against the Iranian delegation, chanting "Change, change, change — regime change in Iran" and "Pezeshkian, out of UN!" Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a former Trump adviser, condemned the delegation's presence, while Iranian-American activists called for a democratic, non-nuclear Iran with free elections.
Sources: NY Post.
Sources: CNN, Al Jazeera, AFP, The New York Times, Associated Press, USA Today, NY Post, IRIB/Press TV (Iranian state media), U.S. State Department, Arms Control Association. This is a developing story; entries are timestamped and the newest appear first.