US President Donald Trump will not attend next week's United Nations General Assembly in person, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Thursday, according to The Hill.
Meadows told reporters en route to a Trump campaign rally in Wisconsin that Trump will not be in New York City for the annual gathering of world leaders.
The event has been altered this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders will meet virtually, and many have submitted taped addresses.
Trump had yet to submit his own speech, raising the possibility that he may speak in person on September 22.
This year's gathering comes on the heels of the signing of peace accords between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with Israel.
The administration's hardline stance toward Iran is also likely to be a key issue at next month's virtual meetings.
In August, Washington started the process of restoring all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Iran. The move to activate the “snapback” came after the UN Security Council rejected the US resolution to extend the arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October.
However, the president of the UN Security Council rejected the US demand, saying there was no general agreement among council members.