Overnight attention stayed on the New York backchannel after Trump's destruction threat. US envoys described indirect contacts as promising and finished one round, while Tehran insisted any exchange went through Qatar and denied a direct Araghchi-Witkoff meeting, a claim that drew criticism of Araghchi from IRGC-aligned media and MPs.
Pezeshkian then delivered Iran's set-piece address to the General Assembly, calling the US terrorist, saying the bomb is in Israel while inspectors are in Iran, and offering negotiation without accepting force. State media foregrounded defiance and showed the US delegation leaving; Washington answered through Rubio and the White House accusing Tehran of killing its own people.
Around the speeches, officials kept up pressure over flights and Hormuz, with Rezaei warning neighbors against enforcing US aviation sanctions as CENTCOM claimed 115 commercial ships diverted.