Trump to address U.N. General Assembly as he navigates Iran, Gaza, Ukraine conflicts

Washington — President Trump will address the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday morning and meet with other world leaders as he makes the case for his handling of the war with Iran and other foreign endeavors.

Ahead of the speech, a White House official said the president will lay out a case for how he is using American power to reshape the world to America's benefit. The official said the president will also talk about his administration's efforts to prevent the United Nations and other groups from "infringing" on American sovereignty or "imposing a radical left-wing agenda" on the American people.

The speech comes as the Trump administration navigates several international conflicts — and expresses frustration with some U.S. allies. The war with Iran will hit the seven-month mark next week. The president is also seeking to close a peace plan for the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas , and has struggled to bring Russia's invasion of Ukraine to an end.

Mr. Trump is visiting the U.N. immediately before welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Wednesday. The U.S. president has praised Xi in spite of questions about Chinese entities assisting Iran and buying Russian oil.

Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters the president's speech will focus on "how he has, and his administration have, confronted complex problems head-on around the world" when past administrations "kicked the can" down the road. Waltz said the president will talk about ensuring that Iran won't have a nuclear weapon, and will give an update on progress on the Gaza peace plan implementation.

U.S. officials, speaking to reporters on a call on the condition of anonymity, said to pay "close attention" to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will communicate that continuing to do business with Iran "is unacceptable, and there will be consequences for it." Rubio is meeting with top foreign officials on the sidelines of the General Assembly, too.

One of the U.S. officials said the Trump administration has granted visas for a small Iranian delegation to be in New York, although it's not clear if the president will interact with them. Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen expanded their attacks on Saudi Arabia over the weekend, targeting Riyadh's international airport and oil storage facilities — raising the prospect that fighting in the Middle East could spill over into another front.

The president weighed attacking the Houthis over the weekend at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, but called off a possible round of strikes late Saturday, CBS News has reported .

It's not clear what move Mr. Trump will make next on Iran. He told Axios , "Anything could happen with me."

Mr. Trump is expected to meet with a number of leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly, including U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and various Gulf state leaders. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. He's also expected to have a pull-aside conversation with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, about whom Mr.