How the United Nations General Assembly Addressed the War in Iran

Sahil Jiwani — September 29, 2026

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is a congregation of the entire United Nations, which meets annually on the third week of every September in New York City. Consisting of 193 member states and over 1000 diplomats, the UNGA works to promote peace and diplomacy throughout the world.

In President Trump’s speech on Monday, September 21st, he pondered over whether he should work towards diplomacy, or if he should “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into hell with no chance of survival.” However, later in his speech, Trump explained that he is optimistic that Iran will come to the table “because it doesn’t make sense for them not to. They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election.” Overall, the Trump administration’s ultimatum was that the United States is willing to negotiate, but if Iran doesn’t come to the table, they will pursue drastic military measures.

The following day, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian responded directly to Trump’s threats, saying that Iran “will never bow our head or bend at the knee” and asserted that the people of Iran are not terrorists, as Trump claims, but actually “victims of terrorism.” Iran then laid out a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days, illustrating that they are ready and willing to commit to diplomacy. Iran explained that if the United States were to lift its naval blockade, stop their oil sanctions, and release frozen Iranian assets, then Iran would stop the fighting everywhere, including Lebanon, and reopen the strait. Even though Trump claimed that the midterms are not affecting his decision making, Iran knows that it is, and they are pushing for an agreement before November 3rd. Iran’s main goal is to have control over the Strait when it is reopened so that they can tax all ships, effectively making them millions in profit. It is important to note that the delegations of both the United States and Iran met in private for over three hours at the UNGA.

However, on Saturday, September 26th, the United States rejected this proposal. When asked by reporters if he was going to restart strikes, Trump hesitated, giving a vague answer. Trump contended that he is still willing to come to the table to negotiate a deal; however, he was adamant that he would not take a deal that was unfavorable for the United States in the long run solely for political gain in the midterms.

Ultimately, while fighting has not restarted, no deal has been made, leaving the future of Iran uncertain. The war that was supposed to last two weeks has now been going on for 200 days, leading to the deaths of 19 US service members and over 6000 Iranians. Political pressure is building in both America and Iran, stimulating talks between the countries.

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Extemp Analysis by: Ian Cheng

Question: Can the United Nations bring an end to the war in Iran?

AGD: I would deliver a historical AGD on why the UN was founded in the first place.

Background: Talk a bit about the conflict: the players, the length, and what’s needed to bring the conflict to an end (ex. Strait of Hormuz, frozen assets, etc.) Then, define the UN and speak about the recent UNGA meeting.

Answer: No, because it’s unable to help the countries reach a peace agreement

A divided Security Council

Russia and China keep vetoing US/West-led measures and vice versa

It only provides a diplomatic platform

This is a weaker point so it goes in the middle. The argument here is that it’s just another place for the US and Iran to do what they’ve already done for so long: negotiate.