Trump in address to world leaders at the UN defends his decision to start the war against Iran

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Donald Trump returned to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday at a tumultuous moment for the world — and for his presidency — and made the case that he's shown fortitude while other leaders have equivocated.

The president started his address ticking off progress — including adding private sector jobs, stemming illegal migration and curbing crime before turning to a fulsome defense of his decision to start a war with Iran.

“The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate," Trump said. "If we stand united, we will soon see a world free of the last 51 year menace of Iranian terror.”

Trump also accused Iran of stalling to make a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an endgame to the war until after the midterm elections in the United States. He insisted the tactic would have no effect on how he approaches the conflict.

“I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran," Trump said. "It doesn’t even enter my mind.”

Most of Iran's delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump railed against the Islamic Republic.

As he arrived at the U.N., Trump briefly spoke to reporters, telling them it was an honor to address the world body before his attention suddenly shifted to his resentments with the news media.

Trump over the weekend announced a White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, claiming that their coverage of his presidency was biased. The news outlets have filed a lawsuit to restore their access to White House grounds. Trump snapped at a CNN reporter in the U.N. scrum.

“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t be here."

After his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders, Trump is expected to hold talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and a more informal meeting with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to the White House.

He's also set to meet with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates — to discuss the way ahead with the war in Iran and growing concern about recent Iran-backed rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia. Trump also plans to take part in an event on the Shield of Americas, an initiative Trump launched with Latin American countries earlier this year focused on combatting violent cartels.

The visit to the U.N. comes when Trump's foreign policy approach — particularly his decision to start a war with Iran — has become a drag on his fellow Republicans' hopes of retaining control of both chambers of Congress during the coming midterm elections. Nevertheless, Trump is making the case in his address that the world is better off for his leadership.

“As president of the most extraordinary nation in history," Trump said. "I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day. I do not believe in letting problems fester."

In last year's address at the U.N., Trump claimed the U.S. had “demolished” Iran's nuclear capabilities after he ordered the June 2025 bombardment of three key facilities.

He returned to the General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a new war against Iran that he insists is necessary to address a nuclear threat posed by Iran.

The war has grown more complicated even though strikes by the United States and Israel have killed much of Iran's top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy, while a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil has left Tehran in economic shambles.

The energy market continues to be spooked by the war and oil prices remain elevated. Saudi Arabia earlier this month shuttered a key pipeline that acted as a relief valve for oil blocked in the Gulf. The kingdom made the move after the pipeline came under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq.

At the same time, territorial grabs by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, another Iranian-backed group, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait has now made it treacherous for oil carriers to use that Red Sea shipping lane.

But Trump insisted anew that the elevated oil prices are a transitory problem that will fade one the war ends.

“Oil prices will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict,” Trump said. "And they were very low in the United States. They were really low.”

Majed al-Ansari, chief spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said Monday that Qatar and other mediators are trying to penetrate a “deep deficit of trust” between the U.S. and Iran and get the sides back to negotiations.

“Either we sign a deal now or sign a deal 10 months away," said al-Ansari, speaking at the Concordia Annual Summit, a global affairs forum taking place during the U.N.’s high-level week. "The only difference is the number of dead and destruction that we see.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Trump is open to meeting with Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, while he’s in New York for the General Assembly.

“This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you’re going to solve problems,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Today” show. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to end up agreeing with them, but it’s important."

At last year's General Assembly, Trump touted his record as a peacemaker and claimed that “everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize” for his administration's efforts mediating several conflicts around the globe.

This year, Trump is set to sign an agreement on the sidelines of the General Assembly with Danish and Greenlandic leaders that aims to set the pathway for the expansion of the U.S. military's footprint on Greenland.

The deal, announced last week, came together after Trump repeatedly threatened to “take over” Greenland, a territory of NATO-ally Denmark, by military force if necessary. Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will immediately begin the process of developing a larger military presence in Greenland including “building two very major military bases.”

Under the deal, Greenland remains Denmark's territory.

The president could also touch on Russia's continuing war against Ukraine during the address — a conflict that during his 2024 campaign he predicted would be resolved on Day One of his second term.

The president has routinely expressed frustration about the conflict. He hasn't obscured that his patience is being tested by Ukraine's targeting of Russia's diesel refineries — an issue that's added to oil markets' volatility — and Russia's targeting of Ukraine's energy grid.

Trump last week asserted that he got the two sides to agree to not target each other's energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy, who is scheduled to meet with Trump on Tuesday afternoon, said he was willing to go along with Trump's plan if Russia abided by it. Russia said it could only go along with Trump's energy truce proposal if Western energy sanctions on Moscow were lifted first.

The two sides have continued carrying out strikes on refineries and other energy infrastructure.

Associated Press Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this story.

United States President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

First lady Melania Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, arrive to listen to President Donald Trump speak to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump arrives to speak to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

First lady Melania Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, arrive to listen to President Donald Trump speak to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

United States President Donald Trump arrives to speak during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

United States President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and United States first lady Melania Trump listen as United States President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

President Donald Trump speaks to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

United States President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

President Donald Trump speaks to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

United States President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

United States President Donald Trump arrives for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

United States President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he arrives for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

United States President Donald Trump arrives for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

United States President Donald Trump arrives for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

FILE - President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

At least six major hospitals have agreed to refuse gender-affirming hormones and surgery for transgender young people and agreed to make payments to the federal government, according to deals with the Department of Justice.

The most recent agreements came last week.

Most of the hospitals had already stopped offering the treatments because of state bans or previous pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration.

The DOJ agreements end investigations into care previously provided and stop the possibility of hospitals being forced to turn over patient records. The Justice Department says some providers have also agreed to help pay medical costs for children to “detransition.”

The hospitals have not admitted to doing anything wrong.

“It’s a really dangerous precedent when the federal government is allowed to politicize any one group of people’s care and end it,” said Eliel Cruz, a cofounder of the Gender Liberation Movement.

Here's a look at the situation:

The Justice Department announced settlements last week with New York University Langone Hospitals and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers. The hospitals agreed not to provide puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgery — all of which the administration calls “sex-rejecting procedures” — for patients under 19.

“The Department of Justice is fighting to protect our nation’s children and working tirelessly to reach agreements with hospitals to end so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors,” U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement last week.

NYU agreed to pay the federal government $8.5 million and UPMC agreed to pay $950,000 in the deals, which followed similar settlements reached since May with Cleveland Clinic, Connecticut Children’s Hospital, Mount Sinai Health System in New York and Texas Children's Hospital.

The hospitals have said the deals will not impact how their pediatric mental healthcare programs treat transgender children.

The Trump administration last year published a review urging only therapy and not broader gender-affirming care for youth. But most major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support keeping treatment available.

Mount Sinai is the only one of the six institutions to strike deals so far that had not previously announced its decision.

The hospitals in Texas and Ohio had already stopped care under state bans. The others had announced their policy changes since Trump returned to office in January 2025 and initiated a series of steps targeting the care. He signed an executive order in January 2025 calling to cut federal support for gender transitions for those under 19, and the administration has barred federal Medicaid dollars from covering the treatment.

The care is still available at a variety of hospitals, and clinics and through individual physicians.

One key action from the administration was to subpoena hospitals — first announced in July 2025 — requesting information on gender-affirming care for children, including patients' names.

NYU Langone said in a statement that agreeing to the settlement protects patients and their families because it removes “the threat that NYU Langone would have to provide the confidential information previously demanded about patients under 18 who received gender-affirming care at our institution.”

Several hospitals have asked courts to block them from being forced to turn over the records, and most prevailed in district courts.

But a ruling last month from an appeals court gave the government's case a boost.

A 2-1 ruling from the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the administration's goal of ending gender-affirming care for youth is not improper and cannot be used as an argument to stop the subpoenas.

At least 27 states have laws restricting or barring gender-affirming care for minors.

Additionally, more than two dozen hospitals, health systems and clinics in the states without bans have stopped offering the care since last year — including some in states with specific legal protections for it. A group of Democratic state officials have sued the Trump administration over that, saying its efforts unlawfully intimidate medical providers.

Transition surgery for people under 18 is rare, but many transgender youth receive hormones to block puberty or to trigger development of sex-linked characteristics consistent with their gender identity.

Cruz's Gender Liberation Movement has protested hospitals that have ended the care. Cruz said some families have moved to other states for access to treatment, only to find providers stop it there. Some, he said, have left the country.

He said the agreements with the Trump administration show “who has the courage to do what their calling and education calls them to do — which is do no harm — and those (who do) not.”

The story has been updated to correct that the agreements call for hospitals to pay the federal government, not to pay the government to reverse transitions.

FILE - Members of Rainbow Families Action march from Bay Street to the Sutter corporate offices on Powell Street in Emeryville, Calif., Dec. 8, 2025, to protest the end of gender-affirming care to patients under age 19. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

FILE - Demonstrators against transgenders rights protest during a rally outside of the Supreme Court, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)