Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed to strongly defend his country’s position as he departed for New York to participate in the United Nations General Assembly.
Pezeshkian, who is scheduled to address the UN on Wednesday, said Iran would use the international platform to present its position and draw global attention to what he described as the injustices faced by the Iranian people.
Speaking before his departure, the president said Iran had emerged from recent challenges with its dignity intact and would continue to stand by its positions in international forums.
“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.
Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit the United States since the Middle East conflict began in late February following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The US State Department has approved the entry of some members of the Iranian delegation for the UN meetings, although they will face restrictions on their movement.
However, members of Pezeshkian’s communications team were denied visas and will not accompany him to New York.
Iranian presidential spokesman Habibollah Abbassi described the decision as “hostile”, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, tensions over the strategic Strait of Hormuz remain a major point of contention between Tehran and Washington.
The crucial maritime route, through which about one-fifth of global hydrocarbons passed before the war, has experienced severe disruption, with Iran firing on commercial vessels and insisting on approving their passage.
The United States, in response, has maintained a counterblockade of Iranian ports while intensifying economic pressure on Tehran.
