Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The United Nations General Assembly is well under way, as the first day in New York City commenced with speeches from US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The big topic on the table today, as expected, was the US-Iran war.

In his speech, Trump told UN members he had a "a big decision to make": whether to make a deal with Iran and let them rebuild or "annihilate" the country. (He confirmed later that leaders from both countries met today for three hours, in what Trump called a "very productive meeting".)

Trump also spoke about Ukraine, once again promising the war with Russia is near its end, rebranded AI as "Super Intelligence", called Cuba a "failed state" and urged nations to withdraw from the "anti-American" International Criminal Court.

Later, Trump met UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time, and the two discussed trade, Iran, Israel and the Falkland Islands. Both spoke positively about the meeting in a news conference afterwards, with Trump telling our BBC correspondent that Burnham "gets it" and "understands what he has to do".

His final bilateral meeting of the day was with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In their joint news conference, Trump repeated that Russia wants to continue talks, but he didn't say when - or if Zelensky would be involved.

Meanwhile in the assembly hall, French President Macron said Ukraine must be defended "more than ever".

We are ending our live coverage on this page, but you can read more about today's biggest moments in our news story.

How much investment has Trump attracted to the US?published at 22:34 BST 22 September

22:34 BST 22 September

By Lucy Gilder

During his speech to UN delegates earlier, President Donald Trump said of his economic record: “We’ve secured commitments for $21 trillion in new investments from all over the planet”.

Trump has cited ever-increasing numbers when talking about how much investment his administration has secured for the US, but there is no publicly available evidence to support figures this big.

This latest figure of $21 trillion (£15.7 trillion) is almost double the $11.2 trillion (£8.3 trillion) in US and foreign investments recorded by a White House tracker, which was last updated earlier in this month.

The biggest amount the tracker records is a $1.4 trillion (£1 trillion) investment in manufacturing and industry by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sumi Somaskanda
Chief presenter, reporting from outside the UN General Assembly

Image source, Getty Images

Let's return to the landmark security agreement Trump signed with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark.

One of the questions I’ve posed to some of the analysts I’ve been speaking to is “did this agreement come at the cost of trust between Nato allies?”.

As the deal was being signed, we saw warm handshakes between President Trump, the Danish prime minister and the Greenlandic prime minister - yet President Trump's threats to annex Greenland very recently threw Nato into a crisis.

Remember that as President Trump was making threats to annex Greenland, Danish forces developed plans to blow up key runways in Greenland if the US launched a military invasion there.

The Danish military flew blood bags to Greenland, preparing for the prospect of the US invading.

I also find it interesting that Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, said earlier in an address: “We have always kept our word, we are an ally that can always be relied on”. That felt like a message directly to President Trump.

It is remarkable that we have ended up at this point - where all of those negotiations have proven fruitful.

Kali Hays
US technology reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier today, we heard Donald Trump claim that artificial intelligence needs to be renamed "super intelligence". The purpose behind this is unclear.

The change seems unlikely to be taken up in technology circles, where AI has been in use for decades and become embedded in popular language. And where “superintelligence” also has its own meaning.

AI, as defined, refers to any computer system that is designed to perform some tasks or work that would normally require a person to complete. That is what AI chatbots of today accomplish.

The term was coined in the 1950s, when AI and the ability of computers was starting to be researched more seriously. Yes, AI has been around for that long.

Meanwhile, the idea of “super intelligence,” or artificial super intelligence (ASI), is more recent.

Often linked to the author and philosopher Nick Bostrom, who more than a decade ago defined the idea as an “intellect” that is superior to humans in all forms. It is still entirely hypothetical.

Other AI experts and executives have additional ideas or caveats for what should count toward actual super intelligence or ASI. But essentially all of them agree AI models and tools today have not reached this (again, hypothetical) threshold.

We can now bring you an update from New York police, who earlier closed a four-block area near the UN after a suspicious package was found.

In their latest update, the New York Police Department (NYPD) says the package has been "cleared and deemed to not be suspicious".

Though some streets in the area have reopened, the NYPD says 43rd Street between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue remains closed.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has again been speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

He says Ukraine is open to negotiating an "energy ceasefire" with Russia, and that the US has agreed to share the proposition with the Kremlin.

Russia and Ukraine have been intensifying strikes on each other's infrastructure recently, targeting energy-generating and transport facilities, as well as major logistics hubs.

Zelensky adds that he also asked the US for Patriot missiles and, in the longer-term, for security guarantees and the licences for Ukraine to be able to manufacture its own Patriot missiles.

In a separate post on X after the meeting, Zelensky said that both Ukraine and the US want the war "ended before winter".

Trump makes ‘eight wars’ claim againpublished at 22:02 BST 22 September

22:02 BST 22 September

Image source, Reuters

By Rupert Carey

US President Donald Trump told the UN earlier that, since taking office for a second time, it “has been my great honour to settle eight wars”.

He listed six of them:

• Between Cambodia and Thailand
• Kosovo and Serbia
• The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda
• Pakistan and India
• Armenia and Azerbaijan
• And the war in Gaza

BBC Verify has looked into his claim before and found that a number of these conflicts lasted just days, although they were the result of long-standing tensions. Despite ceasefires, hostilities continued in the DRC and in Gaza.

It’s also worth noting that Trump didn’t refer to the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025 or the “war” between Egypt and Ethiopia - both of which the White House previously counted as part of the eight wars.

In the case of Egypt and Ethiopia, there was no war to end: there had been tensions between the two countries over the building of a dam on the River Nile, but no actual fighting.

How many ships are making it through the Strait of Hormuz?published at 21:46 BST 22 September

21:46 BST 22 September

Image source, Reuters

By Ben Chu, policy and analysis correspondent

US President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly earlier that, when it came to the contested Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, “more oil is flowing than at any point since the start of the war” with Iran.

“We’re taking 22, 25, 30, 32 and 37 ships out, respectively, every single day, every single night,” he added.

This is more optimistic than the picture from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.

It estimates that total crossings by all types of ships ranged between nine and 24 per day last week, well below the pre-war average of around 140 crossings each day.

Kpler’s data also shows an average of 8.1 million barrels of crude oil per day passing through the strait last week, compared with a pre-war average of 13.5 million barrels per day.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter, reporting from the United Nations

Image source, Reuters

A short while ago, I was in yet another conference room, with a large scrum of reporters and photographers from several countries squeezed in behind me.

We weren't there for too long, but many people would've seen this as one of the most important meetings of President Trump's day.

Trump was flanked by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar and Jordan's King Abdullah. Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist turned Trump ally, was sitting one seat over, as was President Erdogan of Turkey.

Sone of the countries here - such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia - have been directly in the line of fire since the war with Iran began and have a vested interest in things wrapping up and the Strait of Hormuz reopening.

There's still very little detail on the earlier meeting between American and Iranian officials, or what comes next in terms of negotiations or possible further strikes.

But for the men in this room, that question will matter enormously.

A bit more now from Andy Burnham, who says he's put the UK's position on the Falkland Islands to Donald Trump.

Burnham says the UK will "stand firm in the face of any threats" and will "defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British".

He adds that he wanted Trump to "know directly from me" that that is "the clear British position", and says the US president "understood" why he'd taken that view.

Burnham's comments follows ones made earlier this month from Argentinian President Javier Milei that "winds of change" favoured Argentina's claim to the islands, while Trump said the US position on the islands was under review.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says that he and US President Donald Trump found "a lot of common ground" when they met in-person for the first time at the UN earlier today.

Points of agreement included the cost of living, and ending the Middle East war and that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, Burnham says.

Asked about Trump's criticism of the Chagos Islands deal earlier, Burnham says he "inherited the situation", but that "we'll work hard" to find a resolution. (We have more on what this deal is in our earlier post).

On Trump's praise for him as a man he can "do business" with, Burnham says it was "in relation to reindustrialisation" and his "vision" to rejuvenate communities that have been deindustrialised.

Burnham adds that he's asked Trump for tariffs relief for a "particular factory" in the north-east of England, though doesn't give more detail.

New York City police are examining a suspicious package in Midtown Manhattan, just a few blocks away from where world leaders are meeting at the United Nations.

A four block area near the city's iconic Chrysler Building has now been shut down and police are advising people to avoid the area.

The sprawling UN building is just one block east from where the shutdown begins.

The BBC has asked the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for more information, and they said they don't have more to add at this time.

We'll bring you more on this developing story when we get it.

Image source, EPA

We're now hearing from Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is holding a brief news conference at the United Nations.

"The need for multilateral cooperation is very much alive," he starts by saying, citing climate change, conflicts, artificial intelligence, and pandemics as pressing threats.

He adds: "Not every partner" will share values, and you have to meet them "open-eyed".

We're listening across for further lines from Carney's address, which we will bring you here, and you can also follow along by pressing watch liveabove.

Francisco Velasquez
Business reporter, in New York

A bit earlier today, while speaking with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump said that he backs proposals to halt American diesel exports in a bid to ease prices for drivers at the pumps.

He suggested keeping domestic supplies inside the US could also ease broader petrol prices.

"I've called for that too. I've said let's not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel. That could have a little bit of an effect on regular automobile gasoline," he said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted officials are assessing "whether a full or partial ban would work" without disrupting refinery capabilities.

There are a host of leaders from all over the world at the UN General Assembly meeting this week.

Here's a round up of who else has been seen in New York:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iran’s official state broadcaster news agency has confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, but has portrayed this as being held at the “insistence” of the US.

According to the report on state broadcaster's Telegram channel, the reason the talks were held was because Iran could communicate its “conditions for the reopening” of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“The immediate lifting of the naval blockade [by the US], the immediate release of all of Iran’s frozen assets, and an end to the war on all fronts involving the [Axis of] Resistance are among Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” the report said.

The Axis of Resistance refers to Iran’s allies and proxies in the region.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the UN General Assembly

Image source, Reuters

I've just left a large conference room, which is shaped like a miniature version of the main assembly hall, with various country delegations identified by digital placards.

This meeting brought together the "Shield of the Americas" alliance, which brings the US together with mostly Latin American governments to combat shared threats, particularly drug trafficking.

It is clear looking around the room - and from Trump's comments - that he sees many of those represented here as ideological bedfellows that have drifted rightward over the last several years.

Argentina, Colombia, Peru, and Paraguay - all of whom have leaders or representatives within eye shot of me now, have conservative governments now, as do several others.

Keiko Fujimori, President of Peru, Javier Milei of Argentina, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Colombian Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo all delivered long and enthusiastic praises of Trump - which the president clearly enjoyed.

Image source, Reuters

Back to the General Assembly Hall, where we've just finished hearing from French President Emmanuel Macron.

He says that France will "spare no effort" to ensure useful negotiations between Russia and Ukraine begin as swiftly as possible.

Ukraine, he adds, must be defended "more than ever" as winter is coming - a topic our diplomatic correspondent in Kyiv said earlier would loom large in everyone's minds today.

Macron calls for a "double moratorium" on strikes against energy and civilian infrastructure as well as the Black Sea, which would allow grain shipments to be released.

The French president also calls Gaza "a spectacle that shames us all" and says the "most basic rights" of Palestinians are being violated.

Macron also tells the UN to "hold fast and not yield on artificial intelligence" and warns that some people believe only two powers - the US and China - will be making the decisions on AI.

He calls for a "cutting edge, open source AI model" that can be shared and is not dependent on other powers, and stresses the need for new rules for using the technology in outer space, in defence and cyber security.

Image source, Reuters

US President Donald Trump has also met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the United Nations General Assembly today.

Takaichi described how the economic relationship between the two countries has been "steadily advancing" in areas such as AI, semi-conductors and critical minerals.

The prime minister said she looked forward to the deepening relationship between Japan and the US and Trump agreed.

There were no questions from reporters.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter, reporting from United Nations

I'm currently resting in a side room of the sprawling UN building, taking a brief breather after an extremely hectic few hours running from meeting to meeting behind President Trump.

In the span of a few hours, Trump gave his address and met with the leaders of Denmark, Greenland, the UK, Japan and Ukraine - with more left to go later, including leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

In his speech and all those meetings, Trump has shrugged off any perceived criticism and did not stray very far from the script that most expected.

It's been, essentially, an extended defence of his policies at home and abroad, whether they be economic, diplomatic or security-focused, such as the war in Iran.

The one main surprise, however, has been that the US and Iran have spoken at that meeting.

We don't know much more about that meeting - and have pressed for details.