By Zainab Bakare
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed to firmly defend his country’s position as he travels to New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Pezeshkian made the statement on Tuesday before departing Iran for the UN meeting, according to footage aired by Iranian state television.
He said the visit would give Iran an opportunity to present its position to the international community.
“We will make the best possible use of this opportunity to convey Iran’s plight to the international community,” Pezeshkian said.
He added that Iran would tell its adversaries that its people had remained steadfast despite what he described as “unfairness and injustices.”
Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
He is the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit the United States since the Middle East war began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The US has approved UN visits for some members of the Iranian delegation, although the group will face movement restrictions, according to the US State Department.
However, members of Pezeshkian’s communications team were denied visas and will not travel with him.
Iranian presidential spokesman Habibollah Abbassi described the decision as “hostile,” according to local media.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains a major point of tension between Tehran and Washington, with traffic through the strategic waterway severely disrupted by the conflict.
