Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address the UN General Assembly tonight at 9 p.m
By Bernard Moerdler,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address the UN General Assembly tonight at 9 p.m. Israel time, following speeches this week by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran continue on the sidelines in New York.
Trump used his Tuesday address to defend the U.S. war with Iran and said he now faces a decision between reaching an agreement with Tehran or escalating the conflict further. He said Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and warned that he could "annihilate the Islamic Republic" if no agreement is reached.
Pezeshkian told the General Assembly on Wednesday that Iran would not surrender, but said Tehran still believes in diplomacy. He also said Iran would not accept being denied shipping access through the Strait of Hormuz while other countries continue to use the waterway. The U.S. delegation walked out at the beginning of his speech, Reuters reported.
Separately, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Tehran and Washington exchanged and clarified messages for roughly two hours Tuesday through Qatari mediation. Iran said it presented its conditions for renewed diplomacy, including an end to U.S. military and economic pressure, an end to the war on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an agreed arrangement for safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Netanyahu's office says he will meet leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, Ethiopia, Colombia, Greece, Slovenia and Papua New Guinea while in New York. No meeting with Trump or another U.S. official appears on the schedule released by his office.
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Israeli Politics
Reported by Bernard Moerdler for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.