In his first response to the recent Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah commanders, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that the attacks will not undermine the group's strength.
“Hezbollah’s organizational and human strength far surpasses these notions. Their power, capabilities, and resilience are vastly superior to being significantly undermined by these martyrdoms,” Khamenei said on Wednesday.
“Undoubtedly, the loss of an individual, particularly a commander with a distinguished record of jihad in the path of God, is a significant blow. There is no question about that. Yet, despite these losses, they have prevailed thus far,” he added.
The Iranian leader's speech comes amid escalating regional tensions, as Tehran's key proxy group faces an intensifying Israeli offensive. Since Monday, Israeli military operations in Lebanon have resulted in 569 fatalities and over 1,800 injuries, including the assassination of multiple top commanders over the weekend.
In another part of his remarks, Khamenei likened the operations of Lebanese and Palestinian forces against Israel to Iran’s own struggle during the eight-year war with Iraq. He reaffirmed the “religious and undeniable duty” to return Palestine and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to their rightful owners.
Khamenei further asserted, "The Palestinian and Lebanese resistance will ultimately prevail," accusing Israel of targeting civilians out of frustration with its inability to defeat its adversaries.
Since Hezbollah’s founding in 1982, Iran has remained its steadfast ally. Khamenei attributed the recent escalation in Lebanon to US involvement following Israeli strikes that destroyed communication equipment provided to Hezbollah.
Despite Washington’s claims of ignorance regarding Israel’s plans, Khamenei insisted, "The US is both aware and complicit," adding that President Biden’s administration "requires a victory for the Zionist regime" ahead of the upcoming November presidential election.
A former US diplomat held hostage in Iran has called the presence of the Iranian president's delegation for the UN General Assembly in New York a lavish escape while Iran grapples with severe domestic crises.
“This is a great vacation for them, believe me. They love this—they can get out of Iran, relax, have a great meal, and see things they couldn't see in Iran. So, this is an excuse to get out,” Barry Rosen, senior advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Iran International.
Staying at the Millennium Hilton, the visit is costing over $1,000 per night for each member of Masoud Pezeshkian's 40-person delegation, including his family, Rosen remarked that "the larger the delegation, the better time they have."
He further suggested that the group seems detached from the ongoing crises in Iran, where "the economy's in shambles, there's a water crisis, an electricity crisis, every possible crisis, and most of all, a human rights crisis."
Criticizing the issuance of visas for Pezeshkian and his delegation, Rosen recalled a previous instance when he had successfully opposed the appointment of a UN ambassador, saying, "Years ago, I complained against the attempt to bring in a UN ambassador by the name of Aboutalebi, and he was stopped."
However, Rosen acknowledged that diplomatic protocol is difficult to challenge, stating that while the delegation is technically present "legally," he personally does not view them as such.
In 2014, the White House refused to issue a US visa to Iran's nominee for UN ambassador, Hamid Aboutalebi, due to his involvement in the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, during which Barry Rosen and dozens of others were taken hostage.
The decision effectively barred Aboutalebi from assuming his position at the United Nations in New York, the official linked to the student group that orchestrated the embassy takeover.
On November 4, 1979, a group of radical students loyal to Ayatollah Khomeini stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, seizing American hostages for 444 days. Taking place in the chaotic aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the collapse of the Pahlavi monarchy, the crisis deeply strained US-Iranian relations, leaving a lasting impact for years to come.
Recalling the day of the hostage crisis, Rosen said, "We were taken hostage around 10 o'clock in the morning. It was raining, and before I knew it, several hundred people had scaled the walls and burst into my office. They told me, 'You're a member of the nest of spies.'"
To this day, the Islamic Republic refers to the former US embassy in Iran, now defunct, as the "nest of spies." He went on to describe the ordeal: "They put me in handcuffs, threw me into the kitchen of the ambassador's residence, and from that point, I was interrogated, beaten, and tied up.
"As I lay on the floor, I heard Imam Khomeini say that taking Americans as hostages was the right thing to do. At that moment, I realized I was in serious trouble for a long time."
Explaining that his initial trip to Iran was as part of the Peace Corps, a US government program that trains and deploys volunteers for international development assistance, Rosen recounted how he later became a press attaché, working alongside American Ambassador William H. Sullivan. His role was to inform both Iranian journalists and the international press about the events unfolding during the Iranian Revolution.
Reflecting on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody, which sparked months of protests across Iran in 2022, Rosen emphasized the resilience of Iranian women, calling them "the valiant heroes of Iran." He remarked on the severe punishment that women have endured over the past two years.
"There are so many people still going through the jails, being punished, with death penalties being carried out and hangings happening all over the place," Rosen added. "This regime has a lot to answer for."
While in New York, Masoud Pezeshkian faced backlash from hardliners at home following a Bloomberg report that claimed he suggested Iran was prepared to ease tensions with Israel.
The report entitled “Iran's President Says He’s Prepared to Ease Tensions With Israel” was released after Pezeshkian met with a US media delegation in New York on Monday.
"We are prepared to give up all our weapons, provided Israel also disarms, and an international organization steps in to ensure security in the region. We don't even need them—we know how to secure our own safety,” Pezeshkian is heard saying in an audio file from the meeting obtained by Iran International.
Some hardliners have even called for Pezeshkian’s impeachment, signaling potentially serious domestic political strife. It remains unclear where Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stands. While Pezeshkian's foreign policy statements were likely approved by Khamenei, it remains to be seen whether he will step in to rein in the hardliners.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the head of the government’s Public Relations Council, Elias Hazrati, strongly rejected Bloomberg’s claim, but an audio recording of the meeting obtained by Iran International confirmed the the Iranian president made those remarks.
Pezeshkian said on X Tuesday that he had criticized the “UN inaction against the crimes of the occupying regime” in a meeting with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“The silence of the world, especially the Western countries, about the death of 41,000 innocent people in Gaza is incomprehensible. The Islamic world will not allow them to turn Lebanon into another Gaza,” he added in his tweet.
“A more beautiful world! President Pezeshkian talked about a region free from weapons of mass destruction and a world free from nuclear weapons,” the Pezeshkian administration’s X account posted Tuesday.
The harshest criticism has come from ultra-hardliners within the Paydari Party and its allies, who continue to quote the Bloomberg headline despite "corrections" from Araghchi and others. They accuse Pezeshkian of betraying Hezbollah, Hamas, Yemen, and other Iranian allies in the region.
“The least that should be done after this scandal in the US is to impeach such an incompetent person and remove him from the presidency of Iran!” one of the critics outraged by the alleged suggestion of the possibility of escalation with Israel posted on X.
“It seems that the multilateral diplomacy of Javad Zarif and President Pezeshkian will be damaging to the Resistance Axis. The message of peace from Iran as the main supporter of the Resistance Axis when Lebanon is on fire has boldened the Israeli army,” another critic charged.
Mohammad-Javad Zarif, Pezeshkian’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs, also took to X to defend Pezeshkian for “the most well-founded defense of the resistance of the people of Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen” in New York, “exposing the dual standards of the Western countries in matters such as weaponization, war, and human rights” and “showing that genocidal Israel is an aggressor with nuclear weapons”.
Opponents of the Islamic Republic, however, are criticizing Pezeshkian's government for its support of militant groups within the Axis of Resistance, rather than for any alleged attempts at de-escalation in the region.
“Is Mr. Pezeshkian the President of Lebanon, Yemen, and Palestine … that he is talking on their behalf? Is it an honor to put Iran’s money and wealth in the mouths of terrorists?” one of the replies to Zarif’s post in Pezeshkian’s defense charged.
“Why did Lebanon and Yemen get themselves involved in this as if Israel occupied their lands? It was you who armed them. Otherwise, why should Lebanon and Yemen get involved in a Palestinian war?” another comment to Zarif’s post read.
“You and the criminal regime under the criminal Khamenei’s command send money and weapons to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah instead of supporting your own people … You’d better pay heed to human rights violations in Iran instead of theatrical human rights performances in New York…,” another X post declared.
Since his arrival in New York, Pezeshkian has held meetings with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the European Council, the King of Jordan, and presidents of Switzerland, Turkey, and Finland, the Elders Group, and some US media representatives.
Pezeshkian also sat for an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in which he warned about the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and an all-out war in the region.
In his Tuesday address to the UN General Assembly, he stated that Iran is willing to return to the now-defunct JCPOA nuclear agreement, provided the West meets its obligations, which would effectively mean the lifting of sanctions.
Iran has facilitated secret negotiations between Russia and Yemen's Houthis in order for Moscow to provide the militia with advanced anti-ship missiles amid the Red Sea blockade.
Three sources confirmed to Reuters that discussions are ongoing, although Russia has not yet committed to providing the Yakhont supersonic missiles, also known as P-800 Oniks.
Such weapons would enhance the Houthis' ability to strike commercial vessels in the Red Sea with greater accuracy amid the blockade which began in November, posing a heightened threat to US and European warships defending the area.
Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, the Houthis, claiming solidarity with Iran-backed Hamas, have enforced a maritime blockade of the Red Sea, targeting commercial shipping, on the orders of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Initially focused on the Red Sea, these attacks have now extended to other key waterways, including the Indian Ocean, disrupting international shipping and resulting in dozens of international seamen unrelated to Israel being taken hostage.
A US-led coalition of over 20 nations has mobilized to address the threat to global trade and the freedom of movement in the vital maritime corridors.
"Russia is negotiating with the Houthis for the transfer of Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles," a Western intelligence source told Reuters. "The Iranians are brokering the talks but do not want to have their signature over it."
In July, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia was considering sending the missiles. In August, CNN reported that Russia had prepared to deliver missiles and other military equipment to the Houthis but pulled back last minute amid behind-the-scenes efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to halt the transfer.
Two regional officials said that the Houthis and Russians met in Tehran at least twice this year and that talks to supply dozens of missiles, which have a range of about 300 km (186 miles), were ongoing, with further meetings expected in the coming weeks.
For years, Iran has been accused of supplying the Houthis with funding, weapons and technical expertise, enabling the group to develop long-range missiles and drones. These shipments, often disguised as commercial cargo, have sometimes been intercepted by US naval forces and other international military operations.
In early September, the Houthis reached central Israel with a missile for the first time, which they claimed was hypersonic. The missile landed in an open area near Ben Gurion International Airport, causing no casualties and minimal damage.
Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would exact a "heavy price" on the Houthis, who control northern Yemen. In a press conference, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied that Tehran had supplied hypersonic missiles to the Houthis or short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart that an improvement in bilateral relations could only happen if there was an immediate release of three French nationals held in Iran.
"The President of the Republic stressed the need to obtain without delay the release of the three French nationals arbitrarily held hostage in Iranian prisons for two years in undignified conditions, an imperative prerequisite for any improvement in bilateral relations with France," the French presidency said in a statement.
Macron met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
According to the Iranian readout of the meeting, Pezeshkian criticized France’s support for Israel in its war with Iran-backed militant group Hamas. He said, “The continuation of Israel’s crimes could lead to a situation that is out of control.”
Last year, the French government accused Iran of adopting a policy of "state hostage-taking" and "blackmail," intensifying calls for the release of French nationals detained in Iran.
Cecile Kohler, a teacher and head of the National Federation of Education, Culture and Vocational Training (FNEC FP-FO), and her partner Jacques Paris, also a member of the same trade union, were arrested on May 8, 2022. They are accused by Iranian authorities of inciting labor protests, charges both their families and the French government deny.
Apart from the couple, other French citizens detained in Iran include Olivier, known only by his first name, and Louis Arnaud, a banking consultant sentenced in 2022 to five years in jail on national security charges.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran could work with world powers over a deal on its nuclear program if other parties renewed their obligations to the lapsed agreement, in a debut speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
"We are ready to engage with JCPOA participants. If JCPOA commitments are implemented fully and in good faith, dialogue on other issues can follow," Pezeshkian said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
It was his most high-profile moment on the world stage since being elected following the death of his hardline predecessor Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in August.
The relative moderate ran on a platform of alleviating the country's ever-worsening economy and standards of living by engaging with foreign powers in order to ease sanctions.
But decision-making in the theocratic country ultimately rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has championed confronting the United States and Israel in the region, earning sanctions from the West.
"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," Pezeshkian added.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told Iran International: "Iran has to give the IAEA some answers on a number of things that have not been clarified for some time."
Regional Tensions
The remarks come on the heels of a sharp escalation of cross-border combat between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon as the Jewish state launched air strikes targeting the group which killed nearly 600 people on Monday.
"It is imperative that the international community should immediately stop the violence and bring about 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," Pezeshkian said of the recent violence.
"No amount of barbaric violence can restore (Israel's) myth of invincibility," he added.
The president did not discuss Iran's role in supporting Hezbollah or other groups it leads as part of the so-called Axis of Resistance comprising Islamist militias armed by Tehran which have been fighting Israel in a nearly-year-old conflict.
Around 300 Palestinian and Yemeni fighters are holding military training exercises inside Iran, a source familiar with the matter told Iran International, in what appears to be part of a broader effort by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) to prepare its regional allies for potential future operations.
In New York, Iran's delegation is allowed to travel only within the area between their accommodation at the Millennium Hilton Hotel and the UN headquarters and the route to and from the airport, a security source told Iran International on Tuesday.
The United States, Israel's main backer, considered Iran a state sponsor of terrorism and efforts to engage anew with Tehran foundered during the administration of Joe Biden.
However, Pezeshkian defended the Islamic Republic's regional policies, declaring that it has been supporting "popular liberation movements." He also reiterated Tehran's support for anti-Israeli protests around the globe. "We have been siding with the people across the world, who have flooded the streets in outrage against Israeli atroci es; we condemn Israeli crimes against humanity."
Iran and Russia
Since Pezeshkian's election, the issue of Tehran's continued support for Russia's war on Ukraine has gained a new significance. The United States and European powers hit the country with fresh sanctions this month over allegations Iran was shipping missiles to Russia to aid its attacks on Ukraine, a charge Tehran denies. But Iran has also denied having supplied thousands of kamikaze drones to Russia since mid-2022, which is well-documented and not in dispute.
The Iranian drones are often used during massive Russia missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure to overwhelm Kyiv's Western provided air defenses, therefore angering European powers, who have been imposing sanctions on Iranian individuals and companies.
Despite these, Pezeshkian said Iran hoped to see a negotiated solution to that conflict.
"We seek lasting peace and security for the people of Ukraine and Russia. The Islamic Republic of Iran opposes war and emphasizes the urgent need to end military hostilities in Ukraine."
The G7, an organization of seven of the world's largest economies, warned Iran of potential further sanctions if the country continues with its destabilizing actions in the Middle East.
In a statement Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan (G7) condemned Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles and drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, calling for an immediate halt to the shipments.