President Donald Trump will address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 22. World leaders will watch Trump’s remarks closely as the Iran war and regional instability continue to drive volatility in global energy markets.
Here’s what to watch at this year’s gathering.
All Eyes Will Be on Iranian Delegation
As world leaders gather for the U.N.’s high-level week from Sept. 22 to 29, the war with Iran looms large over the agenda. Tensions spiked over the weekend when the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group launched an attack on the international airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital.
Iran will be a key topic of discussion at the UNGA, senior U.S. officials said during a call with reporters.
Despite the tensions, the United States has granted visas to the Iranian delegation, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to allow them into New York for the summit. All eyes will be on the Iranian team when the world leaders meet on Sept. 22 for the big event.
Trump has no plans to meet with the Iranian delegation during the UNGA, a White House official told the Epoch Times.
According to Mike Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Trump will emphasize America’s stance on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in his keynote speech.
“He will touch on the importance of ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon, which is not only demanded by the United States, has been demanded by the U.N. Security Council, and repeated resolutions,” he told reporters during the call.
The U.S. government has restricted the Iranian delegation’s movement within the city and prohibited them from shopping.
“The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods, per our policy,” the State Department spokesperson said earlier.
Trump to Meet Venezuelan Leader Near Jailed Maduro
Trump is scheduled to meet with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, on Sept. 22 on the sidelines of the summit.
Rodriguez will represent Venezuela at the U.N. General Assembly in Manhattan, located only about 10 miles from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is being held.
This will be the first meeting between Trump and Rodriguez since American forces captured Maduro in Caracas in January and brought him to the United States to face federal drug trafficking and related charges.
Trump will speak with the interim president during a reception.
“The president will host a U.N. General Assembly leaders’ reception. There, he’ll participate in a pull-aside with the acting president Rodriguez of Venezuela,” Waltz said. He did not elaborate on details of what they would discuss.
Packed Marathon of Bilateral Meetings
Trump has a packed schedule in New York. On the sidelines of UNGA, he is set to hold bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he would meet with Trump on Sept. 21.
“We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on Sunday.
Trump will not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, senior U.S. officials said during the call.
“The prime minister’s presence on the ground here in New York is going to be quite limited. They’re in the middle of their election season,” an official said, adding that Netanyahu will arrive after Trump leaves, as he is scheduled to speak on Thursday.
As in the previous year, the United States has denied entry visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation for this year’s General Assembly.
On Sept. 22, Trump will also participate in a multilateral meeting with the leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional organization comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The main focus of the meeting is to determine the next steps regarding Iran, according to senior U.S. officials.
“The president truly values hearing from them and hearing their concerns,” an official said.
‘MUNGA’: US Pushes for Sweeping U.N. Reform
The U.S. president has been a vocal critic of the international body, questioning its effectiveness in solving international conflicts. After winning office, he ordered the United States to pull out of or cut funding to multiple U.N. organizations.
“We have successfully driven the first budget cut, U.N. budget cut in their entire 80-year history, and we’re incredibly proud of that,” a U.S. official said, adding that more than a billion dollars has been cut.
In addition, 3,000 headquarters staff were cut, and over 25 percent of peacekeepers worldwide were sent back home, as part of the reform.
“We have worked together to rebrand it MUNGA—Make the U.N. Great Again. That’s the charge from the president,” Waltz said.
The Epoch Times Denied U.N. Access for Another Year
As in previous years, the U.N. has denied press credentials to several reporters from The Epoch Times and its sister outlet, NTD. This ongoing pattern over the past two decades has raised concerns about possible Chinese influence.
In an automated email, the United Nations Media Accreditation Office declined the application for accreditation to cover the UNGA events in New York this week.
“Reason: Organization does not meet the requirements for media accreditation,” the office said.
The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 in the United States by Chinese Americans in response to censorship and human rights abuses in China. It’s an independent news organization that now publishes in 22 languages across 35 countries.
In 2022, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping directed Chinese security agencies to intensify their targeting of The Epoch Times and NTD as part of a broader transnational repression campaign.
For years, Chinese authorities have pressured the U.N. to interfere with The Epoch Times’ reporting efforts.
Kimberly Hayek and Eva Fu contributed to this report.
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