Iran Heads to the UN Assembly as War Continues: What to Know
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left Tehran on Tuesday morning, 22 September 2026, for New York to attend the UN General Assembly. Al Jazeera
He was joined by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials. Araghchi arrived in New York earlier than Pezeshkian. The delegation will stay for five days and return to Tehran on Saturday. Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the 193-member General Assembly, the UN's main meeting of all member countries, on Wednesday.
Ahead of the departure, Pezeshkian vowed to firmly defend Iran's positions and said discussions in New York would focus on regional realities. Iranian presidency He said the issues Iran will raise concern the suffering of the Iranian nation, crimes committed against it, and distrust that has been created.
Araghchi said his main goals in meetings on the sidelines of the Assembly will be to defend the rights and interests of the Iranian people. Pezeshkian also plans to hold discussions with Iranian expatriates, intellectuals, think tanks and media during the visit.
Tehran plans to use the platform to raise two wartime allegations: the Minab school bombing and the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the opening day of the war.
A U.S. missile strike on February 28 destroyed the all-girls Al-Shajara School in Minab, killing 175 people, including 47 schoolgirls and 26 teachers. U.S. investigators stated American forces hit the school by mistake due to outdated intelligence, noting the civilian school sat next to an Iranian naval base.
The war started by the U.S. and Israel on Iran on February 28 continues, with disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz affecting global energy prices. Washington is tightening economic pressure through sanctions, or economic punishments, and a naval blockade on southern Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, or the use of warships to limit ships moving in and out.
The war has not paused for diplomacy. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier that week he was considering a new major military assault on Iran while wanting to hear from Arab leaders.
Access itself was contested. On September 17, the Trump administration said top Iranian officials will be allowed to attend the General Assembly, and approved visas for top leaders. Reuters Iran's delegation in 2026 will be smaller than in prior years. Al Jazeera
The U.S. denied visas to Pezeshkian's accompanying media team for the trip, according to Iran's president's office. Washington imposed tight restrictions on the delegation's movement in the U.S. and barred delegates from buying luxury goods during their stay.
The general debate of the 81st General Assembly session will be held from Tuesday, 22 September to Saturday, 26 September, and on Monday, 28 September 2026. UN General Debate The theme for the session is "Restoring trust, managing transformation".
The broader context here is an Assembly acting as both courtroom and backchannel, like a public trial and a hallway for quiet talks at once. For Iran, the General Assembly offers an open floor to place civilian casualties and leadership targeting into the formal record, with verbatim transcripts and global broadcast that one-on-one statements do not provide. For the U.S. and Israel, the same floor tests how a continuing operation involving mistaken targeting, blockade measures and Hormuz disruptions will be received by states that depend on energy shipments.
In my view, the choreography around the visit matters as much as the speeches. Araghchi arrived first. A five-day stay and planned outreach to expatriates, think tanks and media point to a delegation seeking sideline diplomacy while formal Council action stays blocked. Visa denials for media, movement limits and the luxury-goods ban point to a host government seeking to contain that outreach without triggering a dispute over access for principals.
Looking at what this means for the next phase, Wednesday's address will set the public terms, but the sidelines will determine whether any de-escalation channel remains open. With a blockade in place, shipping disrupted and discussion of a new assault in Washington, the margin for misinterpretation is narrow. New York provides proximity. It does not provide protection from the dynamics driving the conflict.
