New York: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he asserted that his country is ready to end its nuclear standoff with Western countries and wants to play a "constructive role" in global affairs. He said Iran is willing to engage with the participants of the 2015 nuclear deal, which was scrapped by former US President Donald Trump in 2018.
"We are ready to engage with participants of the 2015 nuclear deal. If the deal's commitments are implemented fully and in good faith, dialogue on other issues can follow," Pezeshkian told the UN. His remarks follow those of Iran's clerical establishment, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which expressed willingness to re-engage with the US in the hopes of easing US sanctions, saying there was "no harm" in engaging with its "enemy".
“I aim to lay a strong foundation for my country's entry into a new era, positioning it to play an effective and constructive role in the evolving global order,” said Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who ran as a reformer and took office in July. His tone seemed more measured than his predecessors in recent years.
Can Iran re-enter nuclear deal with US?
The United States, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew in 2018 from Iran's deal with several Western nations to curtail its nuclear programme in exchange for getting sanctions lifted. It remains unclear just how much room Pezeshkian will have to manoeuvre, particularly as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and as the US prepares for a presidential election in November.
Despite sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme, it has managed to increase its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels in defiance of international demands, according to a confidential report by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran has 164.7 kg (363.1 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent, capable of making four nuclear bombs.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks set clear red lines for any talks taking place under the government of reformist President Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn't to be trusted. "This does not mean that we cannot interact with the same enemy in certain situations," Khamenei, 85, said, according to a transcript on his official website. "There is no harm in that, but do not place your hopes in them."
Iran urges US for 'new era' of relations
Pezeshkian also criticised Iran's arch-foe Israel during his UN Summit for what he called "its genocide in Gaza". "It is imperative that the international community should immediately ... secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and bring an end to the desperate barbarism of Israel in Lebanon before it engulfs the region and the world," he said.
He also called for an early resolution in the Russia-Ukraine war through dialogue, saying it opposes war. Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran since the start of its war with Ukraine and has said it is preparing to sign a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with the Islamic state.
Pezeshkian criticised the US for several reasons — from sanctions to the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a Trump-era US drone strike — and urged “all states pursuing a counterproductive strategy towards Iran” to learn from history and a new era of relations. "We have the opportunity to transcend these limitations and enter into a new era. This era will commence with the acknowledgement of Iran's security concerns and cooperation on mutual challenges,” he said.
(with inputs from agencies)
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