What to expect as UN General Assembly convenes amid Iran war

WASHINGTON — As the Iran war and a new escalation by Yemen’s Houthis roil the Middle East, leaders from across the region will descend on New York City next week for the United Nations’ annual summit. 

President Donald Trump, whose administration has cut tranches of funding from UN organizations, will address the General Assembly on Tuesday, as will leaders from Turkey, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt. Other key speeches to watch include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Syrian President Ahmed al-Shaara on Wednesday and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will meet with Trump in Washington on Thursday, will skip the UN gathering.  

“This is in a city the president loves,” said a senior US official previewing Trump’s agenda in New York. “The UN General Assembly is “the one place, one time a year, where you get over 150 prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers to come all together.” 

Iran in the spotlight