OMM Redaksiyası
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian departed Tehran for New York on Sept. 22 to attend the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to the United States earlier as head of the diplomatic delegation.
Iranian officials said they would outline Tehran’s position on global and regional issues during the annual meeting and defend the country’s national interests.
Tehran to use UN platform
Before his departure, Pezeshkian told journalists that attending the UN General Assembly would provide an opportunity to explain Iran’s position, convey realities in the region and make the voice of the Iranian people heard by the international community.
The Iranian president also commented on the denial of visas by the United States to members of Iran’s media team. He said the UN platform was sufficient to convey Iran’s message and that numerous media organizations operate in New York.
Pezeshkian added that the restrictions could indicate that some parties were concerned that the realities of developments in the region would be voiced.
Iran accuses US of disinformation campaign
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the US administration’s refusal to issue visas to members of Pezeshkian’s media team as an attempt to conceal the truth and advance a disinformation campaign.
In a post on the “X” platform, Baghaei wrote that Washington had closed its doors to journalists inside the country whom it disliked, as well as foreign correspondents it sought to silence, including members of the Iranian president’s communications team.
He commented on the situation by saying: “A people that once took pride in tearing down the Iron Curtain now stands behind one of its own curtains.”
Diplomatic meetings and domestic pressure
After arriving in New York, Araghchi spoke by telephone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the two discussed issues on the General Assembly’s agenda and the secretary-general’s efforts to strengthen international peace and security.
Iranian media, citing ministry information, reported that Araghchi met with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, as well as the foreign ministers of Qatar, Switzerland and Italy and Norway’s deputy foreign minister.
Pezeshkian is scheduled to hold meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the UN event. However, some circles in Iran are urging him not to meet US officials over stalled ceasefire talks. These forces rule out peace negotiations with the United States and demand retaliation for the killing of Iran’s former supreme leader and military commanders.
These positions have grown stronger as Iran holds events and military parades marking “Sacred Defense Week,” dedicated to the anniversary of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
