NEW YORK, July 18 -- Zohran Mamdani, New York City's mayor since January, said Saturday that his administration is in "active conversation" with the city's legal department about arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The statement positions the mayor of the nation's largest city in direct confrontation with the federal government's approach to the International Criminal Court's outstanding arrest warrants for Netanyahu, warrants the United States has refused to recognize and has actively worked to shield from international enforcement.

"We are in active conversation with our legal department to explore what legal options are available to us,...