Pezeshkian in New York: Hezbollah Cannot Stand Alone Against Israel

Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran who traveled to New York to participate in the annual United Nations General Assembly, spoke in an interview with Fareed Zakaria, a CNN journalist, about his government's continued support for Hezbollah in Lebanon. In response to Zakaria's question about whether Iran would advise Hezbollah to exercise restraint in response to Israeli attacks, Pezeshkian stated that Hezbollah is facing a government that is 'heavily armed and has access to superior weaponry.' The Iranian President further stated, 'We must not allow Lebanon to become another Gaza in the hands of Israel. Hezbollah cannot do this alone. Hezbollah cannot stand alone against a regime that is defended and supported by Western countries, European countries, and the United States.' Masoud Pezeshkian also warned that 'recent developments could lead to a regional war.' Recently, heavy blows have been dealt to Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, in attacks attributed to Israel, to the extent that Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has acknowledged that his group has suffered a 'severe and unprecedented blow.' Before his interview with CNN, Pezeshkian accused Israel of seeking to expand the war in the Middle East and laying a 'trap' to draw Iran into a broader conflict during a press conference with American media representatives in New York. On Monday, October 2, he referred to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, during a visit to Tehran, condemning it as a violation of all international laws. Pezeshkian stated, 'The day after my presidential inauguration ceremony, this regime carried out the assassination of martyr Haniyeh, our guest, to expand the scope of the war in the region, and despite many efforts to prevent our response and promises to stop the bombings in Gaza, the intensity of attacks and crimes has increased day by day.' He then told foreign media that the Islamic Republic of Iran would definitely respond to this action by Israel but added that Tehran does not want to be a factor of instability and insecurity in the region. The killing of Ismail Haniyeh, which Tehran and the Hamas group blame on Israel, raises fears of direct confrontation between Tehran and its main enemy, Israel, while the region is embroiled in the war in Gaza and escalating conflicts in Lebanon. Pezeshkian continued his remarks on Monday with foreign media, stating, 'We were told that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas would be established within a week, but that week never came, and instead, Israel expanded its attacks.' Hamas is recognized as a terrorist group by the United States and Western countries. He noted that Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel in response to the attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus demonstrate Iran's defensive capabilities. The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly will be held from Tuesday, October 3, to Saturday, October 7, and as always, heads of state will have bilateral, multilateral, and media meetings on the sidelines of this public session. Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, also traveled to New York on Sunday, October 1, to attend the United Nations General Assembly; this is considered his first appearance at the UN as the President of Iran. Part of the questions from journalists to Masoud Pezeshkian in the meeting with foreign media focused on Iran's nuclear program and questions surrounding the JCPOA. The President of the fourteenth government responded to these questions by stating that if the nuclear agreement is re-established, Iran will return to a lower level of uranium enrichment and will also reduce its enriched uranium reserves. He reiterated that weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran and the military structure of the Islamic Republic. Indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran to revive the nuclear agreement during the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi have completely stalled. While Iran is still officially part of the agreement, due to renewed US sanctions against the Islamic Republic, it has significantly reduced its commitments to comply with the JCPOA.