UN General Assembly opens as leaders urge action on Iran, Ukraine, Gaza
The 81st UN General Assembly opened in New York on September 22, 2026, with leaders addressing global crises including wars in Iran and Ukraine, as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned of widening global fault lines and called for greater international interdependence. US President Donald Trump hailed his record, criticized Iran as the "bully of the Middle East," and suggested a peace deal could follow the US midterm elections. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of a "genocidal mindset" and called for Palestinian statehood, while Brazil's Lula criticized UN inaction and warned democracy is under threat. The assembly runs through September 28 amid ongoing conflicts, including a seven-month US-Israel war on Iran that has closed the Strait of Hormuz, Russia's escalated assault on Ukraine, and crises involving climate change, AI, and an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.