As the United Nations prepares for its 73rd General Assembly in New York, the spotlight is being shared by the United States and Iran, each of which is eager to prove that the other has violated its obligations under international law. As if it were not enough to hear presidents Donald Trump and Hassan Rouhani on Sept. 25, the following day the US has convened a special meeting of the UN Security Council. US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Trump wants to highlight Iran’s “violations of international law and the general instability Iran sows throughout the entire Middle East region,” but would have no objection if Rouhani spoke too. This has raised considerable political tension in Iran, with a debate over whether Rouhani or Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif should attend. With US sanctions on Iran’s oil industry due on Nov. 4, another threat to the already struggling economy, some viewed the Security Council meeting as an opportunity for face-to-face talks with Trump without the label of “negotiations.” Others are skeptical that Iran would derive any benefit from a lecture by Trump about its regional meddling. The clerics in Tehran were busy drawing up a plan, when suddenly the goalposts moved. The US changed the agenda of the Sept. 26 meeting from the Middle East and Iran to the more general “nuclear non-proliferation.” Perhaps the US felt that concentrating on Iran would be difficult when the other Security Council members are signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which the US has withdrawn. Broadening the discussion gives Trump more room for maneuver. Interestingly, Iranian social media sees the change of topic as a good sign from the US, indicating possible indirect talks and easing the tension between the two countries. If the proxy militias backed by Iran can attack the US embassy in Baghdad or oil tankers in Bab Al-Mandab today, tomorrow they will do the same to other targets — if, for example, the banking regulation system Germany has promised to introduce to the regime to counteract Trump’s sanctions doesn’t work, or if France again raises the issue of Iran’s ballistic missile program. Camelia Entekhabifard To complicate matters, the US is holding Iran accountable for rocket attacks in Basra and Baghdad in Iraq. It blames Iranian-backed militias, and the US Army has threatened retaliation. Republican US senators plan to introduce legislation on Wednesday seeking to counteract what they see as Iran’s increasing influence in Iraq, amid concern about attacks by groups US officials consider Iranian proxies. Their bill would impose terrorism-related sanctions on Iranian-controlled militias and require the US Secretary of State to publish and maintain a list of armed groups receiving assistance from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The only charming character in the whole system in Tehran was Mohammad Javad Zarif, who missed the opportunity to repair Iran’s relations with its Arab neighbors. If the proxy militias backed by Iran can attack the US embassy in Baghdad or oil tankers in Bab Al-Mandab today, tomorrow they will do the same to other targets — if, for example, the banking regulation system Germany has promised to introduce to the regime to counteract Trump’s sanctions doesn’t work, or if France again raises the issue of Iran’s ballistic missile program. The Iranian people and the international community are all hostages of the Islamic Republic guarded by its internal and external militias. Camelia Entekhabifard is an Iranian-American journalist, political commentator and author of Camelia: Save Yourself By Telling the Truth (Seven Stories Press, 2008). Twitter: @CameliaFard