Iran’s President Arrives In NYC To Attend UN General Assembly

Footage shows Iran’s president stepping foot in New York. pic.twitter.com/jg7JyWNuyp

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 22, 2026

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With the United States and Iran locked in a dragging conflict, President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran was traveling to New York on Tuesday to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Analysts say it will be the first time that a leader whose country is at war with the United States sets foot on U.S. soil to address the U.N. gathering. Just before departing Iran, Mr. Pezeshkian had referred to his host country for the next few days as the “enemy” in combative remarks carried by state media.

“They cannot use force to compel people to submit,” he said of the United States, accusing it of repeatedly violating truce agreements and using its military to strike homes and hospitals and “commit atrocities” in Iran and beyond.

Mr. Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the U.N. gathering on Wednesday — speaking after President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi and before President Santiago Peña of Paraguay — in what experts say will be a historic moment.

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President Trump says Iran deal will be made after the midterm elections, and says he has decision between a deal with Iran or destroying them: "Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?" pic.twitter.com/Y5K6v4B326

— CSPAN (@cspan) September 22, 2026

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With nearly 200 foreign dignitaries expected to be in New York City this week, security across the metropolis has been ramped up, with thousands of New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers being posted at or around UN headquarters, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Tisch held a security briefing on this week’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) alongside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, where officials outlined their plans to ensure the event’s safety.

Mamdani called it an “honor” for his city to be the host of UNGA, but noted that “New York City is always a target, and especially so when thousands of international representatives are present.”

The NYPD will work alongside the US Secret Service and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service to protect foreign dignitaries during the assembly, he said.

Mamdani stressed that there are “no known specific or credible threats” against either UNGA or New York City, but said that “our security posture will be elevated out of an abundance of caution. This is standard procedure.”

Earlier this month, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) warned of “extensive street closures and delays across Manhattan.”

At times, areas will be closed to both pedestrians and vehicles, including the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive, Mamdani said.

A temporary flight restriction will also be in effect within a 2-nautical-mile radius of the UN until Saturday, according to Tisch.

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