Iran delegation to present narrative of resilience, diplomacy at UNGA

Iranians are divided on whether the UNGA will help end the war with the US.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, third left, reviews an honour guard while leaving Mehrabad airport for New York to attend the UN General Assembly, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, September 22, 2026 [Iranian Presidency Office via AP]

Tehran, Iran – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his team are heading to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) , where they are expected to express grievances about the United States’ war on Iran, but also look at ways of resolving it.

Pezeshkian, who departed Tehran on Tuesday morning local time, is joined by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials, and is scheduled to address the 193-member assembly on Wednesday.

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“The issues we will raise at the UN concern expressing the plight of the Iranian nation, the crimes that have been committed against it, and the distrust that has been created,” Pezeshkian told reporters before boarding a flight out of Tehran.

He also warned that the renewed use of force by Iran’s foes would be counterproductive.

“We will make the enemies disappointed,” he said.

Araghchi, who had arrived in New York earlier, said his main goals during meetings on the sidelines will be to “defend the rights and interest of the Iranian people”.

The war started by the US and Israel on Iran on February 28 continues, with disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz that have affected global energy prices.

In the backdrop, Araghchi slammed the UN’s lacklustre performance in establishing peace and security.

“Trust in this organisation has been lost, and this is unfortunately because of its ineffectiveness in establishing international peace and security,” he said.

He said the Minab school bombing by the US and the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the opening day of the war would be among the issues Iran will raise at the UN.

Sina Toosi, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera that he believes the Iranian delegation will aim to send a message that it is “open to diplomacy”, but not willing to “de-escalate unilaterally”, as Tehran believes it did in June after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US.

“I expect Pezeshkian to present Iran’s current pressure campaign not as an alternative to diplomacy, but as leverage for achieving a more durable agreement,” Toosi said. “The immediate Iranian demands are … an end to the naval blockade, and respect for the Iran-Oman agreement governing transit through Hormuz. In many respects, this amounts to returning to the June understanding and actually implementing it.”

A woman touches the grave of a deceased relative as people gather to mourn at the cemetery of Minab City on May 14, 2026 in Minab, Iran [Majid Saeedi/Getty Images]

The Iranian delegation will be in New York for five days and is scheduled to return to Tehran on Saturday.

The US has denied visas to Pezeshkian’s accompanying media team and imposed tight restrictions on their movement in the country, according to the president’s office. Iranian delegates will also be barred from buying luxury goods during their stay.

Still, Pezeshkian plans to hold discussions with Iranian expatriates, intellectuals, think tanks and media in the coming days.

The UNGA brings together representatives of nearly 130 countries at the body’s headquarters in New York.

This year’s assembly, which begins on Tuesday, comes as the US tightens economic pressure through sanctions and a naval blockade on southern Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he was considering a new major military assault on Iran, but wanted to hear from the Arab leaders of the region first. He is set to meet with representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain in the coming days to discuss the war on Iran.

This and a military escalation in Yemen, where Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces are fighting the Iran-aligned Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, are other concerns for the assembly.

The Houthis have expanded control over the strait of Bab al-Mandeb in recent weeks after making rapid military advances in western Yemen and the Red Sea coast.

Regional mediators – including Pakistan, Qatar, Oman and Turkiye – have pushed for a diplomatic end to the crisis amid prospects of escalated conflict.

As Iran demands a return to the memorandum of understanding signed with the US in June to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, its diplomats are expected to sit down with mediators in New York as well.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera earlier this week that Tehran has communicated seven conditions to the US to reopen the strategic waterway.

These included an end to war on all fronts, the release of Iran’s frozen assets, the lifting of the blockade on Iranian ports, an end to military attacks on Iranian territory, and noninterference in the country’s internal affairs. But he also said Iran remains prepared for escalated fighting, and could potentially abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) depending on future US actions.

Toosi told Al Jazeera that there was a “real opening” for diplomacy, but “no guarantee of a breakthrough”.

“The fundamental obstacle is credibility,” Toosi said. “Tehran’s conclusion from the June MoU was that de-escalating first left it dependent on US commitments that Washington could reverse or simply fail to implement. That helps explain why Iran is now trying to negotiate while maintaining coercive leverage, particularly over Hormuz.”

“The UN therefore presents a potentially important opportunity because both sides have reasons to explore an off-ramp,” Toosi added. The question is whether Trump is prepared to negotiate a genuinely reciprocal agreement, rather than treating diplomacy as a mechanism for Iran to surrender its leverage first.”

Meanwhile, in Iran, there are conflicting views about how to end the war with the US, with some parties open to a peaceful resolution and more hardline factions seeking to continue or intensify the war until all Tehran’s demands are met.

Hossein Mohebbi, the spokesman of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told local media on Tuesday that Iran was prepared to use new weapons systems against the US if necessary, and pointed to its recent attacks on US warships .

But he added that the country was open to peace. “If our national interests call for it to conduct some negotiations alongside war, we must negotiate,” he said.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, had already said both options remain on the table, but said hardline factions have no end date for the war of attrition. Other factions underestimate Iran’s capabilities and believe it must surrender, he said.

“The first keeps the country in a state of perpetual crisis and the other offers national resources and dignity to the enemy on a platter,” Ghalibaf said. “Both approaches realise the enemy’s wish for disturbing the country’s cohesion and unity.”

Trump said on Sunday he would “probably be open” to meeting Pezeshkian in New York, although the Iranian government’s IRNA news service dismissed this as a “new propaganda game”.

The government’s daily Iran newspaper said New York could offer a “platform for the Iranian narrative”. The hardline Kayhan newspaper wanted Pezeshkian to turn the UN into “a courtroom for American crimes”.

Public expectations in Iran are sceptical that the UN meetings will produce any political breakthrough to end the war, which has deepened the average Iranian citizen’s economic woes .

“I think Pezeshkian going [to New York] is better than him not going, but there is no hope that anything comes of it,” one Iranian told Al Jazeera in western Tehran, on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

Another resident of the capital also said she harboured no hopes of a diplomatic resolution.

“I think if [the politicians] want to, then yes, there can be an opening, but they don’t want to,” she said.

伊朗民众对于联合国大会能否帮助结束与美国的战争存在分歧。

2026年9月22日星期二，伊朗总统马苏德·佩泽什基安（左三）在德黑兰梅赫拉巴德机场检阅仪仗队，准备前往纽约参加联合国大会。[伊朗总统府通过美联社发布]

伊朗德黑兰——伊朗总统马苏德·佩泽什基安及其团队正前往纽约参加联合国大会，预计他们将在会上表达对美国发动的伊朗战争的不满，同时也会寻求解决之道。

佩泽什基安于当地时间周二上午离开德黑兰，与外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇和其他官员会合，并计划于周三在由 193 名成员组成的国民议会上发表讲话。

俄罗斯对乌克兰发动四次袭击，造成三人死亡，泽连斯基抵达联合国峰会之际，俄罗斯空袭乌克兰，造成三人死亡（列表1/4）。

联合国称美国船艇袭击可能构成“反人类罪”的原因（共4条，此为第2条）

列表 3/4：美国能否在全球范围内禁止伊朗航空公司运营——这将意味着什么？

特朗普-海湾合作委员会纽约峰会（共4项）清单之四：双方各自想要什么？

佩泽什基安在登上离开德黑兰的航班前告诉记者：“我们将在联合国提出的问题，涉及表达伊朗人民的困境、针对伊朗人民犯下的罪行以及由此产生的不信任。”

他还警告说，伊朗的敌人再次使用武力将适得其反。

“我们会让敌人失望的，”他说。

早些时候抵达纽约的阿拉格奇表示，他在会外会晤的主要目标是“捍卫伊朗人民的权利和利益”。

美国和以色列于2月28日对伊朗发动的战争仍在继续，霍尔木兹海峡的航运中断影响了全球能源价格。

在这样的背景下，阿拉格奇猛烈抨击了联合国在建立和平与安全方面表现不佳。

他说：“人们对这个组织的信任已经丧失，不幸的是，这是因为它在维护国际和平与安全方面效率低下。”

他表示，美国对米纳布学校的轰炸以及战争爆发当天最高领袖阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊遇刺身亡，将是伊朗将在联合国提出的问题之一。

国际政策中心高级非常驻研究员西纳·图西告诉半岛电视台，他认为伊朗代表团的目标是发出一个信息，即伊朗“对外交持开放态度”，但不愿意“单方面缓和局势”，就像德黑兰在6月份与美国签署谅解备忘录后所做的那样。

图西表示：“我预计佩泽什基安不会将伊朗目前的施压行动视为外交手段的替代方案，而是将其视为达成更持久协议的筹码。伊朗目前的诉求是……结束海上封锁，并尊重伊朗与阿曼之间关于霍尔木兹海峡过境的协议。在许多方面，这相当于回归并切实落实六月份达成的谅解。”

2026年5月14日，在伊朗米纳布市的公墓，一名女子触摸着已故亲人的坟墓，人们聚集在一起哀悼。[Majid Saeedi/Getty Images]

伊朗代表团将在纽约停留五天，并计划于周六返回德黑兰。

据总统办公室消息，美国拒绝向佩泽什基安随行的媒体团队发放签证，并对其在美行动实施严格限制。伊朗代表团成员在美期间也被禁止购买奢侈品。

不过，佩泽什基安计划在未来几天与伊朗侨民、知识分子、智库和媒体举行会谈。

联合国大会将近 130 个国家的代表聚集在位于纽约的联合国总部。

今年的大会将于周二开幕，而此时美国正通过制裁和对霍尔木兹海峡南部伊朗港口的海上封锁来加大对伊朗的经济压力。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普本周早些时候表示，他正在考虑对伊朗发动新一轮大规模军事打击，但希望先听取该地区阿拉伯领导人的意见。他将于未来几天会见沙特阿拉伯、阿拉伯联合酋长国、卡塔尔、阿曼、科威特和巴林的代表，讨论对伊朗的战争问题。

此外，沙特支持的也门政府军与伊朗支持的安萨尔真主（又称胡塞武装）之间的军事冲突升级，也是大会关注的其他问题。

最近几周，胡塞武装在也门西部和红海沿岸取得快速军事进展后，扩大了对曼德海峡的控制。

包括巴基斯坦、卡塔尔、阿曼和土耳其在内的地区调解人，在冲突升级的前景下，一直力促通过外交途径结束这场危机。

伊朗要求恢复6月份与美国签署的关于重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的谅解备忘录，预计其外交官也将与纽约的调解人进行会谈。

伊朗最高国家安全委员会秘书莫森·雷扎伊本周早些时候告诉半岛电视台，德黑兰已向美国提出了重新开放这条战略水道的七项条件。

这些条件包括停止所有战线的战争、解冻伊朗被冻结的资产、解除对伊朗港口的封锁、停止对伊朗领土的军事袭击，以及不干涉伊朗内政。但他同时表示，伊朗仍做好应对冲突升级的准备，并可能根据美国未来的行动退出《不扩散核武器条约》（NPT）。

图西告诉半岛电视台，外交谈判出现了“真正的契机”，但“不能保证取得突破”。

图西表示：“根本障碍在于信誉。德黑兰从6月份的谅解备忘录中得出的结论是，先缓和局势使其依赖于美国的承诺，而华盛顿可能会推翻这些承诺，或者干脆不履行。这有助于解释为什么伊朗现在试图在保持胁迫性筹码的同时进行谈判，尤其是在霍尔木兹海峡问题上。”

图西补充道：“因此，联合国提供了一个潜在的重要契机，因为双方都有理由寻求脱身之计。问题在于，特朗普是否准备就一项真正互惠的协议进行谈判，而不是将外交视为伊朗先放弃筹码的工具。”

与此同时，伊朗国内对于如何结束与美国的战争存在分歧，一些方面倾向于和平解决，而强硬派则寻求继续或加剧战争，直到德黑兰的所有要求都得到满足。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）发言人侯赛因·穆赫比周二告诉当地媒体，伊朗准备在必要时使用新型武器系统对抗美国，并指出伊朗最近袭击了美国军舰。

但他补充说，该国对和平持开放态度。“如果我们的国家利益要求我们在战争之外进行谈判，我们就必须谈判，”他说。

伊朗议会议长兼首席谈判代表穆罕默德·巴格尔·加利巴夫此前曾表示，两种方案都仍在考虑范围内，但他同时指出，强硬派认为这场消耗战没有结束日期。他还表示，其他派别低估了伊朗的能力，并认为伊朗必须投降。

加利巴夫说：“第一种方法使国家长期处于危机状态，另一种方法则将国家资源和尊严拱手让给敌人。这两种方法都符合敌人破坏国家团结和统一的愿望。”

特朗普周日表示，他“可能愿意”在纽约会见佩泽什基安，但伊朗政府的伊通社新闻社驳斥此举是“新的宣传伎俩”。

伊朗政府的日报《伊朗日报》称，纽约可以为“伊朗的叙事”提供平台。强硬派报纸《凯汉报》则希望佩泽什基安将联合国变成“审判美国罪行的法庭”。

伊朗民众对联合国会议能否取得任何政治突破以结束战争持怀疑态度，这场战争加剧了普通伊朗公民的经济困境。

“我认为佩泽什基安去纽约总比不去要好，但也不指望能有什么结果，”一位伊朗人在德黑兰西部告诉半岛电视台，由于安全原因，他要求匿名。

另一位首都居民也表示，她对通过外交途径解决问题不抱任何希望。

“我认为如果（政客们）愿意，那么是的，可能会有机会，但他们不愿意，”她说。