UN General Assembly day 2 puts Iran talks and Ukraine in focus
Iran and Ukraine dominated day two of the UN General Assembly, as Trump reported mediated U.S.-Iran contact and met Zelenskyy.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
On Sept. 23, the UN General Assembly day 2 agenda put Iran and Ukraine at the center of the 81st General Assembly meeting in New York. The day paired leaders’ speeches with diplomacy on the sidelines, including reported mediated contact between U.S. and Iranian officials as the conflict involving Iran remained unresolved.
NPR described Iran and Ukraine as the main focus as diplomats sought to contain the two wars. President Donald Trump also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though the Associated Press account carried by PBS did not specify any outcome from that meeting.
What happened on day two of the UN General Assembly?
Trump told reporters that his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had spent about three hours meeting Iranian officials during the UN gathering. He gave few details about the substance of the discussions or how they had gone.
Witkoff said the exchanges took place indirectly, with mediators moving between the U.S. and Iranian teams. He said he hoped the effort would prove constructive. The reported contact did not amount to a disclosed agreement or a meeting between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In his address to the assembly, Trump urged Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to negotiations aimed at ending the conflict. He also presented a negotiated settlement and further military action as possible paths ahead. Those statements were Trump’s position, rather than a stated outcome of the talks.
Most of Iran’s delegation left the chamber during the speech as Trump criticized the Islamic Republic, according to the AP report. Earlier, Trump met leaders and senior officials from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan to discuss the war in Iran.
What did Trump discuss with other leaders?
Trump’s meetings also extended beyond Iran. The AP reported that he held talks with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Zelenskyy and Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
He also signed a security agreement with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Greenland remained Danish territory under that agreement, the AP reported. Trump said the United States would begin expanding its military presence there, including by building two major bases.
The second day of the high-level debate therefore served as both a forum for public positions and a setting for bilateral meetings. The U.S.-Iran contact was the clearest new diplomatic development reported from the day, but its results remained uncertain.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.