WASHINGTON — With the Trump administration tangled in two drawn-out conflicts involving Iran and Ukraine, it will use the U.N. General Assembly opening in New York on the 22nd to search for solutions. President Donald Trump has signaled sweeping military action against Iran while remaining open to negotiations, pulling Tehran toward the bargaining table, and will also hold a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the same time, his administration has begun pre-coordination with Beijing ahead of a U.S.-China summit.
In a phone interview with Fox News on the 20th, Trump said he had entered "deciding mode" and that something very big would happen in the not-too-distant future. He said there were three options — wiping Iran out, strangling it economically and reaching a deal — and warned that the question was when the entire country would be blown away, adding that big things could happen if Tehran behaved badly. Asked whether he might meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the General Assembly, he said he was probably open to it, signaling a forward-leaning posture.
Republican strategist Mark Pfeifle told Al Jazeera that the aim was to have the Iranian delegation come to New York and talk directly one-on-one with Trump, rather than trading barbs with Washington through social media and intermediaries.
Iran, which had earlier conveyed seven preconditions for dialogue to the United States — including an end to fighting on all fronts, the release of frozen funds and the lifting of a naval blockade — responded with a two-track approach of negotiation and attack. Khatam al-Anbiya, the central military headquarters that oversees Iran's armed forces, said in a statement that if the United States made any mistake, all U.S. bases and assets in the region would become targets of painful attacks without any limit or consideration.
Behind-the-scenes efforts by mediating countries continue. A spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry said Doha was sending proposals to both Washington and Tehran to resume negotiations, according to Fox News. Trump is scheduled to address the General Assembly on the 22nd, with Pezeshkian due to speak the following day. Trump also plans to hold summits with six Middle Eastern countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
The war between Russia and Ukraine also faces a turning point at this year's assembly. Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he had agreed to meet Trump in New York, that peace negotiations were the top priority and that Kyiv was ready to take very significant steps. He added that diplomatic momentum had formed and stressed that the meeting could change a great deal. The U.S.-Ukraine summit is expected on the 22nd, and Zelenskyy is also scheduled to address the General Assembly on the 23rd. Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council and its lead negotiator on ending the war, told U.S. online outlet Axios that the obstacles to be resolved in talks with Washington had narrowed from dozens to one or two core issues, conveying a positive mood. Still, many analysts say optimism is premature, with fighting intensifying — Ukraine struck Moscow on the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections.
A U.S.-Japan summit is also set for the 22nd. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's strategy is to point to $550 billion in investment in the United States to deflect demands for additional investment and a larger share of costs for U.S. military bases in Japan. At the same time, Tokyo may press its position forcefully to prevent the U.S. and Chinese leaders from striking a "big deal" on security or supply chains such as minerals while bypassing Japan.
Separately, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held last-minute talks in New York on the core agenda for the U.S.-China summit scheduled for the 24th. After the meeting, Bessent told reporters that they had held very successful consultations on trade and artificial intelligence. He said he had proposed to the Chinese side a framework for mutual notification in the event of an AI-related incident, and that the two sides had agreed to continue their AI dialogue. China's Xinhua News Agency responded only briefly, saying the two sides had also discussed AI.
Greer emphasized that the meeting had activated a trade committee agreed at the U.S.-China summit in Beijing in May. The committee is a consultative body to discuss tariff reductions on non-sensitive goods worth $30 billion on each side. Greer explained that the targets could include consumer goods and low-technology items shipped from China to the United States, and energy, agricultural products and medical goods sent from the United States to China. On the 21st, China elevated Li Chenggang, its commerce ministry trade negotiator and a key figure in talks with Washington, to the post of national-level international trade representative, reinforcing its negotiating team ahead of the summit.
