Pezeshkian on the Eve of Trip to New York: Iran is Freer than Portrayed

Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, departed for New York on Sunday, October 1st, to attend the United Nations General Assembly. This marks Pezeshkian's first appearance at the UN as the President of Iran. The 79th session of the UN General Assembly will take place from Tuesday, October 3rd to Saturday, October 7th, during which heads of state will hold bilateral, multilateral, and media meetings on the sidelines of the general session. Concurrently with the two major wars of the 21st century in Gaza and Ukraine, the UN has announced the general agenda for this session as 'cooperation towards expanding peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for current and future generations.' Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized his plan to meet and converse with Iranians residing in the United States, claiming that 'the image presented by the media of Iran does not match reality' and that Iran is 'much safer and freer than the image portrayed.' Pezeshkian referred to electoral slogans, stating that Iran 'belongs to all Iranians; both those inside the country and those who have left.' Previous Iranian presidents have raised similar topics before their trips to New York. However, the Islamic Republic's treatment of dual nationals and expatriates has consistently contradicted these statements, with many Iranians living abroad facing significant difficulties when traveling to Iran. A large number of dual nationals have been detained by security agencies during their visits to Iran and accused of crimes such as espionage. Many of their assets have been confiscated or frozen, and in some cases, their family members in Iran have been pressured to convince them to return to the country. On Sunday, the Iranian president also expressed his willingness to engage with American media, in addition to officials and leaders of other UN member countries. Pezeshkian criticized the actions of Israel in Gaza, particularly attacks on hospitals and schools, without naming the country, and condemned the silence of other powerful nations on this issue, viewing the UN as a platform to address these matters. The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, traveled to New York prior to Pezeshkian. In New York, Araghchi met with the foreign ministers of Bahrain and Kuwait, Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani and Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, emphasizing the policy of good neighborliness among regional countries. Araghchi also discussed the situation in Gaza and Lebanon with his counterparts. On the first day of his presence in New York, the Iranian Foreign Minister also met with Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Sigrid Kaag, the UN Coordinator for Gaza Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. This is the first time Araghchi has appeared at the UN as the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, but he is not an unknown figure in international diplomatic circles. During Hassan Rouhani's presidency, Araghchi served as the deputy to then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and was the chief negotiator for Iran in the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA.