Pezeshkian and Guterres stress diplomacy

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized diplomacy and dialogue as the only path to resolving regional disputes and reducing tensions. In their meeting on the sidelines of the UN gathering in New York, Pezeshkian said Iran remains committed to negotiations but has lost trust in Washington after repeated betrayals of diplomacy. He accused the United States and Israel of aggression and said Iran would not submit to external pressure.

Pezeshkian rejected claims that Iran seeks nuclear weapons, calling them baseless, and said Tehran wants peaceful nuclear knowledge and technology. He also said Iran does not want confrontation with regional states and instead wants security in the Middle East and Persian Gulf to be handled by regional countries themselves, without outside interference. He argued that many problems would ease if the United States reduced its role in the region.

Guterres welcomed Iran’s diplomatic efforts and said Tehran had presented ideas in recent weeks that could help move talks forward. He described Iran’s tone as one of peace and moderation, and said the United Nations would keep supporting efforts for stability, including in difficult cases such as Lebanon and Yemen. He also said he believed Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons.

The meeting added to a series of diplomatic contacts around the UN session, where Iran has used the platform to present its position on conflict with the United States and to push for a political solution.