Masoud Pezeshkian at the United Nations: Iran Ready to Engage with All JCPOA Parties

The President of Iran emphasized in his speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York that Iran is ready to engage with all parties of the JCPOA. Masoud Pezeshkian, on Tuesday evening, October 3rd, at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, criticized the United States' withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement and stressed that his country is prepared to engage with the JCPOA parties, and a new round of talks could begin considering Tehran's 'security' concerns. Pezeshkian had also announced Tehran's readiness to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement in a meeting with journalists on Monday. Former U.S. President Donald Trump imposed heavy sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the JCPOA in 2018, which continued until the last months of Joe Biden's administration. Pezeshkian further stated that Iran has never initiated any war, saying: 'I am the president of a country that has been exposed to war multiple times, and others have never helped it, but rather have come to the aid of the aggressor.' He also emphasized that he seeks to organize Iran's relations based on the 'real necessities' of today's world. Pezeshkian in New York: Hezbollah cannot stand alone against Israel. Without mentioning the low public participation in the last presidential elections in Iran, he described his election as a result of 'national consensus' and 'constructive engagement with the world.' He also emphasized that the Islamic Republic seeks lasting peace for the people of Russia and Ukraine and supports any peaceful solution for Ukraine. Ali Vaez, the Iran director at the International Crisis Group, commented on Pezeshkian, saying: 'He is forced to walk a tightrope in New York because many of the priorities he pursues are inconsistent with each other. He wants to improve relations with the West while Iran is on the opposite side in the Gaza and Ukraine wars.' Behnam Talablu, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which supports maximum pressure on Iran, also stated that 'Pezeshkian is trying to change the arrows in the causal chain that has triggered conflict in the Middle East. (While) the arsonist behind the multiple fires in the region is the Islamic Republic itself.' Regarding Gaza and Lebanon, Masoud Pezeshkian, referring to the deaths of over 40,000 people in the last 11 months of Israeli attacks on Gaza, called for a permanent ceasefire. He accused Israel of 'state terrorism,' saying: 'They tell the freedom-loving and brave people who protest against their genocide in the West and East of the world that they are anti-Semitic, and they call the oppressed people who have risen against them after seven decades of occupation and humiliation terrorists.' The current war in Gaza began following a surprise attack by the extremist group Hamas on Israel on October 7 of last year, which, according to Israeli statistics, left 1,200 dead. The United States and many other Western countries consider Hamas a terrorist group. Masoud Pezeshkian further accused Israel of assassinating Iranian scientists, diplomats, and guests. He then called for an end to Israel's extensive attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday afternoon, without distinguishing between killed militants and civilians, that the death toll from Israeli attacks had reached 558, among which '50 were children and 94 were women,' and the number of injured had risen to 1,835. According to these statistics, Monday and Tuesday were the deadliest days in Lebanon since the last war between the two sides in 2006. Masoud Pezeshkian's speech at the United Nations took place while on Tuesday evening, a number of protesting Iranians held a demonstration outside the UN building, holding images of political prisoners and those killed in protests in Iran, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic.