Iran president faces criticism at home over UN trip
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian faced criticism at home on Tuesday over his trip to New York for the UN General Assembly, with a lawmaker and a former senior Revolutionary Guards commander saying he should have stayed away.
Lawmaker Mojtaba Yousefi said Pezeshkian could have used a decision not to attend the General Assembly to protest what he described as US aggression and broken commitments.
He also questioned the standing of the United Nations, saying it had failed to condemn what he described as war crimes during the recent conflict.
Hossein Kanani-Moghadam, a former senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said the General Assembly could still give Pezeshkian a useful diplomatic platform, but added: “If I were Pezeshkian, I would not go to New York.”
Kanani-Moghadam said Pezeshkian could use his UN address to present Iran’s account of the recent war and hold meetings with other leaders to discuss Iran’s diplomatic and economic concerns.