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At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, attention focused on Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of his address, following Donald Trump's threat to annihilate Iran. US and Iranian officials had held three hours of talks, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff said they could continue. Tensions also surrounded the advance of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and their strikes on Saudi Arabia. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said no inspectors had monitored Iran for about six months, warning that continuity of knowledge was essential; inspectors had previously confirmed more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium near weapon-grade level at sites attacked during the 2025 12-day war. He said prompt access was needed, including at Pickaxe Mountain, and that Iran had tied constructive participation to a wider agreement, while the US supported the IAEA's role.

Grossi also warned that fighting continued to threaten nuclear facilities as winter approached, describing the situation as extremely fragile and noting that Europe's largest nuclear power plant was on the front line of war, with constant attacks and loss of external power. A UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine was due, with Estonia's foreign minister saying he expected nothing new because Russia's veto had blocked progress. A high-level Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence was also expected, with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband attending.

Pezeshkian then addressed the Assembly, holding up a picture of children he said were killed by US and Israeli bombs at a school in Minab in the early days of the war. He said Iran had been a victim of terrorism, rejected being called terrorists, and said Iran had only defended itself and would not bow. He accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and of having nuclear weapons while Iran faced inspections and sanctions, said Iran sought peaceful nuclear technology but no nuclear weapons, and called for dialogue and diplomacy without accepting the language of force, adding that lasting peace in West Asia was impossible without justice for Palestine.