September 28, 2026
On the first day of the 81st UNGA’s general debate, Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a remarkable speech underscoring today’s global and regional challenges. He started by pointing to the widening fault lines of the world. He mentioned that in the last decade, wars erupted with devastating consequences and dragged on with despicable cruelty.
He said that the global community’s path to a multipolar world is irreversible. He stressed his preference for a world built on interdependence – and sustained by a dense web of economic, political, social and technological connections; a world in which multiple centers of influence coexist within a common framework of international law and shared rules.
Later, President Trump took the podium. The New York Times reported his remarks under the following title, “At the U.N., Trump Lays Out a Winner-Takes-All Vision of U.S. Power”.[i]
Guterres’ and Trump’s speeches reflected starkly conflicting views of today’s world.
In remarks characterized by self-praise, Trump projected himself as a man of peace who had resolved seven wars in just seven months. Yet, he said he could choose to use military strikes to drive Iran “into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations.”[ii]
Referring to Secretary Rubio’s second project after Venezuela, he said his “administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under. It’s an absolutely failed state. It’s failing like never before, and it will fall.”
Earlier, before the General Assembly, Mr. Guterres – referring to the case entitled “Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip” before the International Criminal Court – had called on “all parties” to comply with international law and the Court’s orders.
Trump said, “We will never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us. They’re an evil group of people. I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately.”
President Macron, in valedictory remarks to the UN, called on countries to stand firmly by the world body against those who would create a world ruled by the “law of the jungle.”
On the second day of the general debate, President Masoud Pezeshkian said the world must understand that the Iranian people’s resistance will only strengthen in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, and coercion. “We will never bow our head or bend the knee,” he declared. He reiterated that Iran would not forgo its right to a civilian nuclear program, nor would it seek to develop nuclear weapons. His passionate, defiant remarks will likely boost his standing domestically.
Despite the sharp rhetoric from both Trump and Pezeshkian, talks between delegations continued. Last Thursday, Tehran proposed a seven-day plan to Washington to cease hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and begin comprehensive talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Foreign Minister Araghchi said it would be better to reach a deal before the US midterm elections. The plan calls for the release of at least $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil, an end to the war on all fronts, and an end to the US naval blockade. Although Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal, talks are likely to continue.
On the third day, Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered fiery remarks targeting Israel’s critics across the spectrum. Interestingly, the UAE delegation was not among those who left the hall in protest.
From then onwards, as the general debate continued, world attention turned to President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the US, a more consequential development than the 81st UNGA. Throughout the visit, Trump extended a lavish welcome, starting by greeting his guest at Joint Base Andrews. The last time a US president traveled to Andrews to greet a foreign leader was in 1962, when President Kennedy welcomed British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
However, that was not all. According to recent surveys from leading pollsters, more Americans across the political spectrum now view China in a positive light. Americans, like others, probably see that, regardless of its long-term goals, Beijing’s foreign and security policy public discourse is steadier than Washington’s under Trump.
With the Iran war in its seventh month, Trump wanted to present the visit as a major success to Americans. At present, the trade war truce is holding. However, considering the fundamental areas of strategic competition between the two global powers and the question of Taiwan, the future may again witness reversals.
According to the US Ambassador in Beijing, the US side, before and during Xi’s visit, told the Chinese side that helping Iran is unacceptable. In response, the Chinese side must have said that a quick end to the war is the only way of resolving related problems, including energy shortages across the globe.
Nevertheless, according to the Chinese summary of the visit (“China and the United States Reach Eight Deliverables and Understandings”), the two heads of state agreed that Iran should honor its commitment to not develop nuclear weapons, and no country or institution can be allowed to impose tolls on international waterways.[iii]
As expected, in his public remarks, Xi Jinping again advocated dialogue between the two powers, stressing that both stand to gain from cooperation and lose in confrontation.
In brief, the China-US rivalry and the management of differences will continue.
On the fifth day of the UN general debate came the biggest surprise of the UNGA. Foreign ministers Lavrov and Wadephul met for the first time since the war in Ukraine began. It appears that Wadephul, who asked for the meeting, was focused on an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea. After the meeting, a frustrated Lavrov said that he heard nothing new from his counterpart. Nevertheless, the meeting was a positive development and hopefully marks a first step toward resumed dialogue between Russia and NATO’s European allies.
Last week, the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies warned the UN Security Council about the risks AI poses, and many observers highlighted it as a top issue in relations between China and the US.
Following World War II, several multilateral treaties were signed to prevent nuclear proliferation and testing, while promoting progress in nuclear disarmament. But those treaties took time. The problem is that AI research might register spectacular advances in a short time. Thus, it remains to be seen whether the leading countries in this domain would strike a balance between their desire to win the AI race and concerns about global security.
With the 81st UNGA fading into the background, except for the election of the new UN Secretary-General, the world will now focus again on the wars in Iran, Ukraine, and the US and Israeli elections.
A final note: Last Friday, the chiefs of defense and general staff of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye met in Riyadh and reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense and the immediate implementation of the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement”.[iv] Hopefully, we will not forget the cost and lessons of our involvement in the “transformation of Syria” and strictly refrain from becoming part of new regional adventures, regardless of the economic/financial incentives offered to us.
[i] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/us/politics/un-trump-speech-iran-venezuela-greenland.html?smid=em-share
[ii] https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-speech-81st-united-nations-general-assembly-september-22-2026/
[iii] https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xw/zyxw/202609/t20260926_12031663.html
[iv] https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/664867/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-pakistan-and-turkiye-reaffirm-collective-defense-under-makkah-agreement
