President Pezeshkian says UN visit aims to defend Iran’s rights, engage in dialogue

President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran’s participation in this year’s United Nations General Assembly meeting provides an opportunity for dialogue with other countries and for defending the rights and interests of the Iranian people.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting on Wednesday, the chief executive said the Iranian delegation had come to engage with different countries and defend the rights of “an oppressed yet powerful” Iranian people.

He said the speech prepared for delivery by him at the General Assembly had to be revised after remarks made by US President Donald Trump.

A day earlier, Trump had used his address to the Assembly to repeat his aggressive rhetoric concerning Iran, saying he was poised to make a “big decision” on whether to make a deal or “quickly annihilate” Iran. Trump had also rehashed his allegations against the Islamic Republic of pursuing “a nuclear weapon.”

According to Pezeshkian, the changes were intended to allow Iran to address more explicitly the realities surrounding US actions against the Iranian people and other countries.

Pezeshkian said some US actions were incompatible with international law and humanitarian principles, arguing that Washington had pursued a force-based approach in various parts of the world in recent years. He cited Venezuela, Cuba, and Greenland as examples of this approach.

The president said the use of force by the United States had a history, but added that it had been less common for such an approach to be expressed as openly as it has been now, including talk of “destruction of a country.”

He asserted that Iran had deep historical and civilizational roots and could not be destroyed.

Pezeshkian noted how the Iranian people had displayed outright support for the country, despite the pressures they had faced and that such steadfastness deserved appreciation.

Turning to regional developments, Pezeshkian said the Israeli regime’s actions, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon, were contrary to the norms and rules of international law. He pointed to numerous reports concerning civilian casualties and suffering in Gaza and Lebanon.

"Seeing images and reports of the suffering and killing of civilians is painful for every free human being, while at the same time we are witnessing claims about humanity and human rights being made by Israelis," he stated.

Pezeshkian also addressed reactions among some Iranians living abroad to developments in the region.

"Unfortunately, some Iranians living abroad have aligned themselves with certain currents on this issue, while those who are foreigners and not Iranian have expressed sympathy with the victims and those who lost their lives."

Pezeshkian said the Iranian delegation had also held a number of diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of the UN gathering.

Iran will resist pressure, force-based policies, President Pezeshkian tells Swiss counterpart

President Masoud Pezeshkian tells his Swiss counterpart that Iran will resist pressure, threats, and policies that are based on force.

Meetings were held with officials and authorities from different countries, during which “good understandings and areas for cooperation” were discussed, he noted.

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