Iran’s Pezeshkian slams Israeli strikes

The Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian told the audience at the UN General Assembly in New York that it was a “heavy blow” to international trust and regional peace.

The president said the attacks, which struck Iranian cities, homes, and infrastructure while diplomatic talks were ongoing, represented “a grave betrayal of diplomacy and a weakening of efforts to establish peace and stability.”

“What you see in these images of killings and crimes is the massacre of children and women. It is a black record of slaughter carried out by Israel in our country against our people, including women, children, and youth, under the name of preserving peace and security in the region,” he said, holding out pictures of the victims.

Pezeshkian underscored Iran’s resilience, saying the country was “the world’s oldest continuous civilization” that has withstood the storms of history.

“Despite the harshest, longest, and heaviest economic sanctions, psychological warfare, media campaigns, and constant efforts to sow division, the Iranian people, from the very first bullet fired at their soil, stood united behind their brave armed forces, and today they continue to honor the blood of their martyrs,” he said.

Also President Masoud Pezeshkian in meeting with France President Emmanuel Macron says a “definitive solution” to the standoff between Iran and the West over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program is “within reach” if all parties respect each other’s rights and interests and adhere to the principle of fairness.

A deal between Iran and Germany, France and Britain to delay a return of U.N. sanctions on Tehran is still possible but there are only a few hours left, French President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting his Iranian counterpart President Masoud Pezeshkian.

On August 28, Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process to reimpose U.N. sanctions that ends on September 27, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Both officials expressed hope that by resolving outstanding issues, groundwork could be laid for expansion of their ties and cooperation.

Macron, for his part, referred to France’s participation in talks aimed at resolving existing differences, stressing the need for whatever issue to be taken care of through dialogue.