Trump at UN: Defending the Iran War While Pushing Gaza Peace and the Abraham Accords
UNITED NATIONS, New York – President Donald Trump is set to take the world stage Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to strike a dual pose: victorious wartime commander and tireless peacemaker. With the Iran campaign stalled and the Strait of Hormuz closed, Trump will look to frame the conflict as a necessary stand against Tehran's nuclear ambitions, even as economic fallout spreads.
The address comes at a critical juncture for Israel and its allies. The war against Iran, launched with the goal of dismantling the ayatollahs' nuclear program, has not yet delivered the decisive victory that Washington and Jerusalem envisioned. Yet Trump is expected to frame the operation as a long-term strategic investment in regional security, one that ultimately protects the Free World from the world's leading state sponsor of terror.
What will Trump say about Gaza and the Abraham Accords?
Beyond the battlefield, Trump will use the UN pulpit to tout his administration's efforts to end the Gaza conflict and expand the Abraham Accords. Talks aimed at Hamas's disarmament and the reconstruction of the Strip, which was devastated following the terror group's October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel, have made limited progress. But the White House remains committed to a framework that ensures the Strip never again serves as a launching pad for attacks against Israeli civilians.
The President is also expected to announce continued momentum in bringing more Arab nations into the Abraham Accords, the historic normalization agreements that have reshaped the Middle East. For Israel, this diplomatic wave represents a strategic triumph: the isolation of radical actors and the forging of a united front against Iranian aggression.
According to Daniel Forti of the International Crisis Group, the speech will likely contrast Trump's peacemaking record with his defense of ongoing military operations. “No one knows what Trump is going to say, not even Trump's speechwriters,” Forti noted. “This year, we expect more of a contrast between Trump sort of both announcing and celebrating his record as a peacemaker versus defending his ongoing military operations around the world.”
Will Trump renew his attacks on the UN?
Trump has never hidden his disdain for the international body, which he has repeatedly accused of bias against Israel and the United States. Last year's speech descended into an extraordinary rant when an escalator stalled and a teleprompter glitched, with Trump suggesting deliberate sabotage. “They turned off the escalator,” Trump recalled last week. “Fortunately, my first lady was very strong, and I was able to grab her back or another part of her body.”
Despite the animosity, Washington reportedly paid $725 million into the UN budget last week, avoiding the embarrassment of losing voting rights. Still, the President is likely to use his platform to attack Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the institution's perceived hostility toward the Jewish state. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the escalator “has been checked and rechecked,” and that new arrangements have been made for the US delegation's teleprompter use.
What other meetings will Trump hold at the UN?
In addition to his keynote address, Trump will hold side meetings with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez. Rodriguez has governed under intense American pressure since her predecessor Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces in January.
Trump is also expected to face skepticism over his claim of a historic win for the United States when a security deal is signed Tuesday for a US presence in Greenland, a territory of Denmark that Trump has repeatedly threatened to acquire.
What about AI and the global stage?
Guterres, who opens the week of speeches, is expected to address the explosion of artificial intelligence and the multiple wars raging globally. Brazilian President Lula Inacio Lula da Silva will speak just before Trump, and the leftist leader has already signaled he will tell the American President not to “meddle” in Brazil's upcoming election.
For Israel, the stakes of this UN session are clear: a strong America that stands by its allies, confronts its enemies, and refuses to apologize for defending its interests. As the Psalmist wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). With Trump in the White House, Jerusalem knows it has a friend who shares that conviction.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.