Donald Trump has insisted he will “not allow Israel to annex the West Bank”. It comes as Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. Follow the latest below.
Friday 26 September 2025 10:30, UK
Iran has warned that it will scrap an agreement to let the UN watchdog inspect its nuclear sites if Western powers reinstate UN sanctions on Tehran.
Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said that Iran’s agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency would be scrapped if any sanctions were reinstated.
Iranian officials held talks with European countries during the General Assembly this week.
It came after, last month, France, Germany and the UK triggered the start of a 30-day period to reintroduce sanctions on Iran unless urgent steps are taken before the 2015 nuclear agreement expires in October.
Those conditions include restoring access for UN inspectors and re-engaging in talks with the US.
Iran’s president is speaking at the UN General Assembly later today (around 8pm UK time).
Benjamin Netanyahu has been busy since arriving in New York.
As well as greenlighting an attack on the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Israeli leader has also held a flurry of meetings with world leaders, seemingly to try to push back on claims Israel is being isolated on the international stage over its actions in Gaza.
Since touching down in New York, Netanyahu has met with Argentina’s Javier Milei, Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic and Paraguay’s Santiago Pena.
It comes as, over the past day, the Israel Defence Forces has continued its attacks on Gaza, striking 140 targets, it says.
This included in Gaza City, where it is carrying out an assault to stamp out Hamas.
We also brought you news earlier that Israel had launched its “public diplomacy campaign” on the streets of New York (see our 6.43 post for more).
The main event in New York today is no doubt the opening speech from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He’s expected to take to the podium around 2pm UK time (9am in the US), but who else is talking on the fourth day of the UN General Assembly?
Following Netanyahu is Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who this year saw his country engaging in fresh fighting with India before Donald Trump’s diplomatic intervention.
Third is China’s premier Li Qiang.
Qiang speaks after President Xi Jinping made a commitment to cut his country’s greenhouse gas emissions for the first time in a video statement to the General Assembly earlier this week.
Li has already held talks at the UN this week with EU boss Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
We’re also expecting to hear from leaders from:
In theory, each leader has a 15-minute speaking slot, but in reality, many have run well over.
“What is happening in Gaza is indefensible. It is inhumane. It is utterly unjustifiable and it must end now.”
That is what David Lammy had to say about Israel’s war in Gaza when he addressed the UN yesterday.
The deputy PM deployed more forceful language than usual during his remarks (see our 6.23 post for more).
Watch him speaking here…
While the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine have been among the biggest topics of discussion in New York this week, one landmark announcement from China caught many by surprise.
In a video statement to the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a commitment to cut his country’s greenhouse gas emissions for the first time.
It came after Donald Trump called climate change the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”, and refuted the use of renewable energy during his address on Monday.
Xi vowed China would cut emissions by 7-10% by 2035, while “striving to do better”.
In the piece below, climate reporter Victoria Seabrook looks at what the impacts of Beijing’s decision could be, how it could be implemented and how similar pledges from the US and Europe compare.
The first ladies of Ukraine and the US met in New York this week during the UN’s General Assembly.
Olena Zelenska shared a picture of herself alongside Melania Trump.
She said:
“I am pleased to see that we share common values – care for the younger generation and the right of every child to a happy and fulfilling childhood. I am sincerely grateful to Mrs Melania for her support of Ukraine and attention to those affected by the war unleashed by Russia. I believe that together we can protect the most valuable thing – our future.”
Melania drew praise from Zelenska in August after she wrote to Vladimir Putin, reportedly about the plight of kidnapped Ukrainian children in Russia.
A month earlier, Trump had suggested his wife may have swayed his opinion on the war in Ukraine slightly.
At the time, he said: “I go home, I tell the first lady: ‘You know, I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation.’ She said: ‘Oh, really? Another city was just hit'”.
In the latest episode of Trump 100, our US correspondents Martha Kelner and Mark Stone discuss David Lammy’s comments on Gaza at the UN.
The deputy PM told world leaders that what is happening in Gaza is “indefensible”, “inhumane” and “utterly unjustifiable”.
Stone suggests that Lammy’s strong language could be a sign that the diplomat feels emboldened thanks to Donald Trump’s position “hardening” on Gaza.
“I’m sure the British government will never admit this, I think they feel they’ve got a bit more cover to be more explicit about what they see happening on the ground, because Trump’s language has shifted,” Stone says.
Catch up on the latest episode below where they also discuss how Trump’s longtime foe, former FBI director James Comey, becomes the first FBI director in history to be charged.
You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.
Email us on trump100@sky.uk with your comments and questions.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has told Sky News he believes Donald Trump is “very, very committed” to ending the war in Gaza.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud said a recent meeting between the US president and Arab leaders went “very well” and that he was hopeful that a peace deal could soon be agreed.
He told The World with Yalda Hakim: “The war has gone on for far too long, too many people have died. Too much suffering has occurred [and] we have a famine going on in Gaza right now.
“And I got the sense from the meeting that President Trump is very, very committed to finding a path to ending the war, bringing the hostages out, bringing the relief to the people of Gaza.
“So I’m actually hopeful that we’ve started the dialogue that’s going to get us towards achieving this ceasefire.”
Ahead of his address to the United Nations General Assembly this afternoon, Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a “public diplomacy campaign” on the streets of New York.
Dozens of billboards and trucks surrounding the UN building and in Times Square have been erected with the message: “REMEMBER OCTOBER 7”.
A QR code alongside the message links to a website that documents the Hamas-led attack into Israel in October 2023.
Netanyahu’s office said the goal of the campaign “is to remind world leaders and the public about the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas and the unbelievable brutality of the terrorist organisation that continues to hold 48 hostages in captivity in Gaza”.
Netanyahu’s arrival in New York has also been met by protests, with demonstrations held outside the Israeli leader’s Manhattan hotel.
David Lammy condemned the war in Gaza as “indefensible” at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday.
The deputy PM used his speech in New York to address what he described as the “Israeli-Palestinian tragedy”.
He said: “What is happening in Gaza is indefensible. It is inhumane. It is utterly unjustifiable. And it must end now.
“The people of Palestine, whose state we proudly recognised this week, and the people of Israel, deserve better.”
Lammy, who also vowed to stand by the people of Ukraine and Sudan during their ongoing conflicts, said the UK would work with the US and other countries to secure a “durable” peace.
“There can be no answer except for the hostages out now, aid in now and a ceasefire now,” he said.
“And I vow to you that we will not rest until this day has come and there are two states living side by side in peace and security.”
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