Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that he wants to open a “constructive” chapter in his country’s international relations and that Tehran is “ready to engage” with the West over its nuclear programme.
In his first speech at the UN’s annual gathering of world leaders on Tuesday, Pezeshkian also strongly criticised Israel for what he called “its genocide in Gaza” and its “atrocities”, “crimes against humanity” and “desperate barbarism” in its war on the Palestinian territory as well as attacks on Lebanon.
“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 told the UNGA.
“We seek peace for all and have no intention of conflict with any country … Iran opposes war and emphasises the need for an immediate cessation of military conflict in Ukraine,” Pezeshkian said.
“We are ready to engage with participants of the 2015 nuclear deal. If the deal’s commitments are implemented fully and in good faith, dialogue on other issues can follow,” he said.
Directly addressing the American people, Pezeshkian listed a number of Iranian grievances, including crippling sanctions placed on Iran by the United States and the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike during the era of former President Donald Trump.
The US, under Trump, abandoned the 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and six world powers in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions on Iran. Efforts since to revive the pact have failed.
Speaking last week about the relationship between the US and Israel at an event hosted by his campaign for the 2024 presidential election, Trump spoke about his record of supporting Israel during his presidency, including recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.
Trump also said he had been told the “best thing” he had done for Israel was terminating the Iran nuclear deal, describing the 2015 agreement as “the worst deal ever made for Israel”.
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the Iranian president’s tone at the UNGA “could be described as moderate”.
“He implied that he does not want to see any further regionalisation of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, making particular reference to what is happening in Lebanon and the root cause of all of that: Israel’s war on Gaza. And he made some strong criticisms of Israel’s actions,” Hanna said.
“He spoke as well about the possibility of resuscitating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Iranian nuclear deal, on condition that the other parties in that accord meet their commitments,” he said.
The Iranian leader’s speech came as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said that he sensed a greater willingness by Iranian officials to engage with the agency in a more meaningful way and that he hoped to travel to Tehran in October.
Grossi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, one of the key architects of the 2015 accord that limited Iran’s ability to enrich uranium in return for a lifting of Western sanctions, on the sidelines of the UNGA on Tuesday.
“What I see is an expressed willingness to re-engage with us in a more meaningful fashion,” Grossi told Reuters in an interview.
