Trump to address UN General Assembly as Iran war looms large

Trump will meet with Gulf leaders impacted by the war with Iran during his trip.

As the war with Iran nears its eighth month -- impacting global oil prices and stability in the Middle East -- President Donald Trump is set to travel to New York City to address global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly and meet with key leaders on the sidelines of the event.

The assembly is the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and is set to kick off with the general debate on Tuesday, the centerpiece of the annual event that will include speeches from Trump on Tuesday as well as speeches from UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Trump is set to meet with Gulf leaders on Tuesday, many of whom have borne the brunt of the economic impacts of the war. The move comes as the Yemeni Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia, which could further impact global gas prices.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz spoke about the meeting with Gulf leaders during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, saying Trump "truly values hearing from them and hearing their concerns" directly.

The attacks on cargo in key shipping channels such as the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, will be discussed, Waltz said.

"... What you will see at the U.N. General Assembly is a lot of discussion of the freedom of the seas, the U.N. law of the sea, freedom of navigation. Whether it's Straits of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab, Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Malacca Straits, we must have free and open commerce," Waltz said.

As the war, which Trump says would last four to six weeks as its outset nears its eighth month, the president is expected to get input from many global leaders hoping to find a solution to the conflict.

Top Iranian officials are set to attend the assembly. The makeup of the Iranian delegation is not yet publicly known, but Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian will be allowed to attend the gathering, according to U.S. officials. At this time, there are not plans for the president to meet with Iranian officials.

The summit also comes as the UN released a report finding "reasonable grounds" to believe that the U.S. carried out two strikes in Iran that resulted in civilian casualties. Those attacks on a girls' school and a sports center, the UN found, were "reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in loss of life or injury to civilians."

However, a State Department official rejected the findings of that report, saying that they "do not give credibility" to its findings.

"The Trump Administration formally withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council following the Council’s consistent failures to uphold its own 'values' as it pushes anti-American rhetoric and antisemitism, all while it appeases repressive regimes, thus making a mockery of the very 'rights' it claims to protect," a State Department official said.