Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed to “firmly defend” his country’s position as he departed for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Pezeshkian made the remarks on Tuesday ahead of his scheduled address to the UN on Wednesday, saying Iran would use the international forum to present its position to the global community.
“We emerged with our heads held high, and this is a source of dignity and pride for all of us. Therefore, we will firmly defend our positions in international forums,” he said, according to footage broadcast by Iranian state television.
Pezeshkian said he would use the opportunity to highlight Iran’s situation and make the country’s position clear to its opponents.
“We will make the best possible use of this opportunity to convey Iran’s plight to the international community. We will firmly tell our adversaries that, despite all the unfairness and injustices, the Iranian people have stood their ground,” he said.
His trip makes him the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit the United States since the Middle East war began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The United States approved UN visits for some members of the Iranian delegation despite the ongoing conflict, but the delegation is expected to face movement restrictions, according to the US State Department.
However, members of Pezeshkian’s communications team were denied visas and were not authorised to travel to the United States.
Iranian presidential spokesman Habibollah Abbassi described the decision as “hostile”, according to local media.
Meanwhile, the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains a major point of contention between Tehran and Washington.
Traffic through the maritime corridor has been severely disrupted since the conflict began. Before the war, the waterway carried about one-fifth of global hydrocarbon supplies.
Iran has fired on commercial vessels and demanded approval for ships seeking to pass through the strait, while the United States has maintained a counter-blockade of Iranian ports and increased economic pressure on Tehran.
