An assembly shaped by the Gulf war
President Donald Trump used his speech at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week to press his case on the war with Iran and to call for shipping to flow freely again through the Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway has been at the centre of the conflict since fighting began in late February. Tanker attacks, sea mines and warnings from Iran's Revolutionary Guard have pushed commercial traffic down and driven insurance costs up. Oil prices have stayed near $100 a barrel for weeks, and the effects are being felt far beyond the Gulf.
Trump has said he wants the strait fully reopened. He has also described talks with Russia and Ukraine about an energy truce, under which both sides would stop hitting each other's refineries and pipelines. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would go along with the plan if Russia did. Moscow said Western energy sanctions would have to be lifted first.
Walkout and a divided hall
The mood in the hall was tense. Delegates walked out of the chamber during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address, delivered a day before Trump spoke. Netanyahu used his speech to defend Israel's campaign in Gaza, and Israeli officials said parts of it were broadcast to Gaza residents through loudspeakers.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has pressed for a post-war plan for Gaza. Diplomats say little progress has been made on who would govern the territory or who would pay for rebuilding.
A busy week of diplomacy
Trump's UN visit came in the middle of a crowded diplomatic stretch. He met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House for a state visit focused on trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan.
Allies are watching to see whether Washington can keep the Hormuz route open without widening the war. Britain announced it would send an RAF tanker aircraft to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against Houthi attacks. Gulf states, meanwhile, are weighing longer routes and higher freight bills while they wait for the waterway to settle.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the combined shocks of war, energy costs and climate extremes are straining the humanitarian system.