Speaking at the 79th UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian portrayed himself as a peace negotiator in the Middle East and, in contrast, accused Israel of supporting terrorism.
Pezeshkian called on the UN to “examine” modern history, saying: “Iran has never started a war. It has only bravely defended itself against external aggression and made the aggressors regret their actions,” adding that Iran has never “occupied” territory or exploited resources for other countries.
“Russia has repeatedly made various proposals to neighboring countries and international forums aimed at establishing lasting peace and stability,” he said. “We have stressed the importance of regional unity and building a strong region.”
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian walks on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, September 24, 2024. (Reuters/Caitlin Ochs)
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Iran’s claim to play a role as a peacemaker in the Middle East stands in stark contrast to its frequent involvement in proxy wars across the region, including in Syria and Yemen, which have further polarized it from other powerful Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
But Iran’s deep involvement in the Middle East also extends to another area where states typically do not address it: terrorism.


Iranian President Masoud Pezechkian addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, September 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
While Pezeshkian claimed at the podium on Tuesday that Israel is “covertly and overtly” supporting the Islamic State, it is widely known that Tehran not only supports terrorist groups that vehemently oppose Israel, such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, but also provides them with weapons, funds and even safe havens, and helps build a bridge between the Taliban and al-Qaida.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to protect its own security, not to intimidate other countries,” Pezechkian said. “We want peace for all people and do not want war or conflict with anyone.”
Iran, which has been increasingly allied with major Western adversaries such as Russia and North Korea, has also sought to claim it is not taking sides in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, despite providing Moscow with drones and, more recently, short-range ballistic missiles to wage the war.


Firefighters extinguish a truck fire at the site of a warehouse facility hit by a Russian drone strike during Russia’s offensive against Ukraine, in the village of Murovane outside Lviv, Ukraine, on September 6, 2024. (Press Service of the State Emergency Services of Ukraine/Distributed via Reuters)
“We seek lasting peace and security for the people of Ukraine and Russia. The Islamic Republic of Iran opposes war and emphasizes the urgent need to end military hostilities in Ukraine. We support all peaceful solutions and believe that dialogue is the only way to resolve this crisis,” the Iranian president said.
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“A new paradigm is needed to address global challenges — one that must focus on opportunities, rather than preoccupied with perceived threats,” he added.
Pezeshkian called on “neighboring and brotherly nations” to unite with Iran to advance what is best for the Middle East.
But the Iranian president also spoke directly to the United States, saying he aimed to “overcome” past obstacles and move forward with Washington, despite Iran’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal under President Donald Trump and subsequent sanctions and trade restrictions that have largely isolated it from the world.
“My message to all countries pursuing a counterproductive strategy against Iran is to learn from history,” Pezeshkian said, calling U.S. sanctions a “crime against humanity.”
“We have an opportunity to overcome these limitations and enter a new era,” he added.


This photo taken from a location in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle intercepted by the Israeli Air Force over northern Israel on August 25, 2024. (JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
But Pezeshkian’s comments rang hollow to some, with Behnam Ben Talebr, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, saying they were full of “propaganda.”
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“It’s short, but it’s not sweet,” he told Fox News Digital. “Pezezhkian tossed around the possibility of a renewed diplomatic agreement that the administration will use as a literal shield against pressure on its expanding nuclear program and a responsible defense against its support for a multi-front war against Israel.”
“By criticizing former President Trump in his speech and including technical staff involved in the JCPOA in 2019, Pezeshkian is trying to garner support from certain quarters in Washington and Europe to extend the snapback deadline, which expires in 2025,” Ben Taleblu added. But despite Pezeshkian’s sweet talk about resuming diplomatic negotiations with the US, he is unlikely to win the support of both camps as the US continues to ramp up its nuclear weapons programme.