Iran War Fears Dominate UNGA Second Day as Pezeshkian and Zelensky Speak Iran war tensions loom over UNGA as President Pezeshkian and Zelensky address the assembly. Trump weighs annihilating Iran or striking a deal after midterms. Iran war tensions dominated the second day of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, 2026, as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian prepared to address the gathering following US President Donald Trump's warning that he faced a choice between annihilating Iran or making a deal. The 81st UNGA session has drawn dozens of world leaders to New York, with another 37 set to speak on the second day. Trump told the assembly on September 22 that he was weighing two options on Iran, threatening to either annihilate the country or strike a deal, likely after the US midterm elections in November. Iran's leadership has warned the United States against any fresh attacks.Diplomatic Talks Continue Amid Iran WarUS special envoy Steve Witkoff said American and Iranian delegations held lengthy talks on the sidelines of the assembly through mediators. The talks signal continued diplomatic engagement even as the Iran war continues and rhetoric escalates.Pezeshkian was scheduled to be the fifth speaker of the day at UNGA. His visit to New York City comes as the US-Iran war is ongoing. The Iranian president's address is among the most closely watched of the session.Trump's remarks on Iran were part of a broader speech before the assembly that addressed many of the biggest geopolitical issues but delivered few surprises, according to observers.Zelensky Seeks Trilateral Peace TalksUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will be the 17th leader to speak this morning, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the assembly on September 22 that he is ready for trilateral talks with Russia and the United States to end the war in Ukraine. His address follows Pezeshkian's.Zelensky's call for three-way negotiations represents a renewed push for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that has consumed Europe for years. His participation at UNGA underscores Ukraine's continued effort to keep international attention on the war.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be the first to address UNGA today. Last year, he became the first Syrian leader to do so in almost 60 years.Venezuela and Cuba Draw AttentionVenezuela's Rodriguez was also set to speak in New York. Trump met with her last night as Washington maintains its position on the country. Her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, is currently being held in a Brooklyn detention center just miles away.On Cuba, Trump said in his speech that its communist government will fall, prompting the country's delegation to walk out of the room. He said his administration is seeking a fundamental change in Cuba, before noting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading negotiations with Havana.Leaders from another 18 countries are also set to speak this morning, including the heads of state from Latvia, Romania, Burundi, Paraguay, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Estonia and Timor Leste. The leaders of Libya, Palau, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Botswana, Ecuador, Bulgaria, the Central African Republic, Panama and Ethiopia are also scheduled.US Hosts AI Security Event at UNGAThe United States is hosting an event on artificial intelligence and security on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Questions of AI and security have taken on new urgency, and the issue is expected to loom large over the global gathering.The US event, to which multiple countries have been invited, is slated to take place the same day as a UN Security Council meeting on AI and security to discuss the risks being seen by AI companies and executives. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is expected to brief that meeting, an OpenAI spokesperson told CNN.US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Helberg, and Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers will host the US event. Washington is billing it as a chance to talk about partnering with the US on AI, according to a source familiar with the event.There is expected to be a discussion about the policy, legal, and regulatory conditions that enable adoption at scale, including free expression considerations.UNGA's Role in Global GovernanceAll eyes are on New York this week as world leaders gather for a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, the organization's main policymaking body, where all its member states are represented.The assembly has played a central role in shaping international law and institutions. It adopted both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention, providing the basis for modern international human rights law.Later, in 1956, the assembly established the first ever UN peacekeeping force during the Suez Canal Crisis to supervise the withdrawal of French, British and Israeli troops from Egypt. The assembly also approved the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1968, which aimed to stop more countries developing nuclear weapons.Almost every country joined except Israel, India and Pakistan, while North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003, displaying the UN's limited ability to compel countries to stick to its resolutions. And in 1996, UNGA adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, helping to almost completely curb the practice.The assembly endorsed the Responsibility to Protect doctrine in 2005 and established the Human Rights Council in 2006. In 2015 it adopted the Sustainable Development Goals seeking to end poverty, turbocharge climate action and reduce inequality, but progress has been slow in some areas and non-existent in others.