Masoud Pezeshkian began his remarks by upholding the importance of equality and mutual respect among all peoples.
“The bedrock of all divine religions and of the human conscience is this golden maxim: that which you would not approve for yourself, do not approve for others,” he said.
He noted, however, that the past two years have seen genocide in Gaza, destruction of homes in Lebanon – and the repeated violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the devastation of Syria’s infrastructure, assaults on Yemen, and the assassination of Iranian scientists.
He asked leaders, “Would you countenance such things for yourselves?”
‘Grave betrayal of diplomacy’
Mr. Pezeshkian recalled that in June, Iran “was subjected to a savage aggression in flagrant contravention of the most elementary principles of international law,” referring to US and Israeli airstrikes on its nuclear facilities and other infrastructure.
They were happening “precisely at a time when we were treading the path of diplomatic negotiations” and “constituted a grave betrayal of diplomacy and a subversion of efforts towards the establishment of stability and peace.”
He warned that “should we fail to confront such perilous breaches of international norms, these aberrations shall spread to engulf the world.”
Hopes for the region
The Iranian President also spoke out against what he called “the ludicrous and delusional scheme of a Greater Israel”, encompassing “vast swaths of the region.”
He instead envisioned “our powerful Iran alongside powerful neighbours within a strong region with a radiant future” in which they “stand together against a grand project that imposes genocide, destruction and stability upon the region”.
“In such a strong region, slaughter and bloodshed shall find no place. It is for this very reason that my country has for many years been among the staunchest advocates of establishing a region free of weapons of mass destruction,” he said.
“Yet those who themselves possess the largest nuclear arsenals and who in flagrant breach of the NPT (non-proliferation treaty) make their weapons even deadlier and more destructive have for years subjected our people to pressures on the basis of spurious allegations.”
He addressed the UN Security Council meeting last week where members rejected a resolution to lift sanctions against Iran imposed prior to a 2015 agreement on its nuclear programme known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He said that “three European States having failed through a decade of bad faith and thereafter by supporting military aggression to bring the proud people of Iran to their knees, at the behest of the United States of America” sought to reinstate Council resolutions that had already been terminated.
“I hereby declare once more before this Assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb.”
He said the future must be built on cooperation, trust, and shared development for all nations.
