TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday vowed to “firmly defend” his country’s positions as he departed for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Speaking before leaving Iran, Pezeshkian said his country had emerged from the conflict with its “head held high” and would use the international forum to present its position.
“We will make the best possible use of this opportunity to convey Iran’s plight to the international community,” he said in remarks broadcast by Iranian state television.
The Iranian president is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
Pezeshkian said Iran would make its case to the international community and tell its adversaries that the Iranian people had remained steadfast despite what he described as unfairness and injustice.
His visit makes him the highest-ranking Iranian official to travel to the United States since the Middle East war began in late February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The United States has approved UN visits for part of the Iranian delegation despite the conflict, but members of the delegation are expected to face movement restrictions, according to the US State Department.
Pezeshkian’s communications team, however, was denied visas and barred from travelling with him. Iranian presidential spokesperson Habibollah Abbassi described the decision as “hostile”, according to local media.
The strategic Strait of Hormuz remains a major point of contention between Tehran and Washington.
Shipping through the vital maritime corridor, through which a significant share of the world’s oil and gas passes, has been severely disrupted during the conflict. Iran has fired on commercial vessels and demanded approval for passage, while the United States has maintained a counterblockade of Iranian ports and increased economic pressure on Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also arrived in New York for the annual UN gathering.
Iranian state media reported that Araghchi spoke by telephone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after arriving in New York and discussed the agenda of the General Assembly.
“Our most important objective is to use a major international platform to defend the legitimacy, rights, and interests of the Iranian people,” Araghchi told Iranian journalists, according to state media.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Araghchi would hold talks and consultations with officials and foreign ministers attending the UN session.
Although earlier reports said the Iranian delegation would be led by Pezeshkian, Baqaei later described Araghchi as the head of a diplomatic delegation.
Araghchi travelled to New York after a stopover in Qatar, which has been involved in contacts between Iran and the United States.
Iran has said it conveyed conditions to Washington through Qatar for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for international oil and gas shipments.