Iran ready to engage world powers on nuclear deal, Pezeshkian tells UN
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran could work with world powers over a deal on its nuclear program if other parties renewed their obligations to the lapsed agreement, in a debut speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
"We are ready to engage with JCPOA participants. If JCPOA commitments are implemented fully and in good faith, dialogue on other issues can follow," Pezeshkian said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
It was his most high-profile moment on the world stage since being elected following the death of his hardline predecessor Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in August.
The relative moderate ran on a platform of alleviating the country's ever-worsening economy and standards of living by engaging with foreign powers in order to ease sanctions.
But decision-making in the theocratic country ultimately rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has championed confronting the United States and Israel in the region, earning sanctions from the West.
"I aim to lay a strong foundation for my country's entry into a new era, positioning it to play an effective and constructive role in the evolving global order," Pezeshkian added.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told Iran International: "Iran has to give the IAEA some answers on a number of things that have not been clarified for some time."
Regional Tensions
The remarks come on the heels of a sharp escalation of cross-border combat between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon as the Jewish state launched air strikes targeting the group which killed nearly 600 people on Monday.
"It is imperative that the international community should immediately stop the violence and bring about a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and bring an end to the desperate barbarism of Israel in Lebanon before it engulfs the region and the world," Pezeshkian said of the recent violence.
"No amount of barbaric violence can restore (Israel's) myth of invincibility," he added.
The president did not discuss Iran's role in supporting Hezbollah or other groups it leads as part of the so-called Axis of Resistance comprising Islamist militias armed by Tehran which have been fighting Israel in a nearly-year-old conflict.
Around 300 Palestinian and Yemeni fighters are holding military training exercises inside Iran, a source familiar with the matter told Iran International, in what appears to be part of a broader effort by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) to prepare its regional allies for potential future operations.
In New York, Iran's delegation is allowed to travel only within the area between their accommodation at the Millennium Hilton Hotel and the UN headquarters and the route to and from the airport, a security source told Iran International on Tuesday.
The United States, Israel's main backer, considered Iran a state sponsor of terrorism and efforts to engage anew with Tehran foundered during the administration of Joe Biden.
However, Pezeshkian defended the Islamic Republic's regional policies, declaring that it has been supporting "popular liberation movements." He also reiterated Tehran's support for anti-Israeli protests around the globe. "We have been siding with the people across the world, who have flooded the streets in outrage against Israeli atroci es; we condemn Israeli crimes against humanity."
Iran and Russia
Since Pezeshkian's election, the issue of Tehran's continued support for Russia's war on Ukraine has gained a new significance. The United States and European powers hit the country with fresh sanctions this month over allegations Iran was shipping missiles to Russia to aid its attacks on Ukraine, a charge Tehran denies. But Iran has also denied having supplied thousands of kamikaze drones to Russia since mid-2022, which is well-documented and not in dispute.
The Iranian drones are often used during massive Russia missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure to overwhelm Kyiv's Western provided air defenses, therefore angering European powers, who have been imposing sanctions on Iranian individuals and companies.
Despite these, Pezeshkian said Iran hoped to see a negotiated solution to that conflict.
"We seek lasting peace and security for the people of Ukraine and Russia. The Islamic Republic of Iran opposes war and emphasizes the urgent need to end military hostilities in Ukraine."
The G7, an organization of seven of the world's largest economies, warned Iran of potential further sanctions if the country continues with its destabilizing actions in the Middle East.
In a statement Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan (G7) condemned Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles and drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, calling for an immediate halt to the shipments.