Iran delegation emphasizes resilience, diplomacy at UN General Assembly

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left Tehran on Tuesday, September 22, at the head of Iran's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He is due to address the 193-member assembly on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials are travelling with him on a five-day visit that ends on Saturday.

Before leaving, Pezeshkian said the delegation would use the UN platform to set out "the plight of the Iranian nation, the crimes that have been committed against it," and added: "We will make the enemies disappointed." Araghchi said his aim was to "defend the rights and interest of the Iranian people," but he also criticised the world body, saying that "trust in this organisation has been lost" because it has failed to establish international peace and security.

The visit takes place against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated on the first day of the war. A US strike on a school in Minab killed 175 people, including 47 schoolgirls. A naval blockade has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has laid out its terms for ending the conflict. Mohsen Rezaei listed seven conditions: an end to the war on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of the port blockade, a halt to military attacks on Iranian territory, non-interference in Iran's internal affairs, implementation of the June memorandum of understanding, and restoration of the Iran-Oman transit agreement.

The Gulf remains central to the diplomacy. US President Donald Trump is reported to be weighing a major military assault while meeting representatives of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Qatar, Oman, Pakistan and Turkey are acting as mediators between Washington and Tehran.

Inside Iran, opinion is divided. Hardliners are pushing for the war to continue or intensify, while moderates favour a negotiated settlement. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned that both courses carry risks for national cohesion. Many Iranians doubt the trip will change anything. One Tehran resident said "there is no hope that anything comes of it."