Iran's Pezeshkian to Address UN as US-Iran Talks Resume in New York

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, an appearance that is likely the first time a foreign leader has spoken at the world body while their country is at war with the host nation.

Pezeshkian arrived in New York under heavy security and scrutiny. Within Iran's political landscape, he is regarded as a moderate figure. His address follows a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump at the same forum on Tuesday, in which Trump suggested he could "annihilate" the Islamic Republic if a deal to end the nearly seven-month war is not reached soon.

Hours after that speech, Trump told reporters that his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had met with Iranian officials for about three hours on the sidelines of the annual gathering. He described the encounter as "a very good meeting" but offered few details on the substance of the discussions, adding that the Iranian officials were "not the highest level, but it's something." Secretary of State Marco Rubio said separately on Tuesday that Trump is open to meeting with Pezeshkian while he is in New York.

Tehran downplayed the unscheduled exchange, which marked the first indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials since a June ceasefire unraveled. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the talks, conducted indirectly through Qatari mediators, were "not anything new." He maintained Iran's negotiating position, calling for Washington to end its blockade of Iranian ports and release frozen Iranian assets.

Pezeshkian will have the opportunity to elaborate on Tehran's stance as more than a year of stop-start negotiations between the two longtime adversaries has failed to produce a sustainable solution. His speech comes as intermittent attacks continue in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast, where commercial shipping remains below prewar levels.

His address last year came months after the 12-day Israel-Iran war, which saw the assassination of many of the Islamic Republic's highest military and political leaders and once again broke down weeks of negotiations with the United States. At that time, Pezeshkian told the assembly that Iran had been subjected to "savage aggression" and a "flagrant contravention" of international law.