NEW YORK, September 23 — Masoud Pezeshkian stepped off a plane at a New York airport late Tuesday night, the first time the Iranian president has set foot on American soil since his country went to war with the United States. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB posted video of the arrival, captioning it simply that Pezeshkian had reached a New York airport. He is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
The visit is extraordinary on its face. Pezeshkian is the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began in late February, and analysts describe it as the first time a leader whose country is at war with the U.S. has come to American soil to speak before a U.N. gathering.
Washington approved the U.N. visits for part of the Iranian delegation despite the fighting, but the group will be subject to movement restrictions, according to the State Department.
A vow before departure
Before leaving Iran, Pezeshkian framed the trip as a platform, not a concession. In footage broadcast by state television, he said his government would “firmly defend” Iran’s positions. “We emerged with our heads held high, and this is a source of dignity and pride for all of us,” he said.
“Therefore, we will firmly defend our positions in international forums.” He added that he intended to use the trip to press Iran’s case. “We will make the best possible use of this opportunity to convey Iran’s plight to the international community,” he said.
“We will firmly tell our adversaries that, despite all the unfairness and injustices, the Iranian people have stood their ground.”
Talks on the sidelines
Behind the speechmaking, a quieter track was moving. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said American and Iranian negotiators “engaged in lengthy talks” on the sidelines of the General Assembly, speaking through mediators over the course of the day. In a post on X late Tuesday, Witkoff did not describe the substance of the discussions.
He said the two sides “successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising.” President Trump told reporters earlier Tuesday that Witkoff and U.S. envoy Jared Kushner had a “very good meeting,” and that the two sides “have another one scheduled in the very near future.” Trump also joined a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council on the sidelines of the assembly, where he said there is “lot of momentum” for Iran to make a deal.
Countries represented in that meeting included Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. The diplomacy unfolds against a decision the White House has not yet made. The Trump administration is weighing whether to pursue a diplomatic agreement with Iran or take a harder line, and the Iran file has emerged as a central focus of this year’s General Assembly session as the Middle East war grinds on.
What to watch next is Wednesday’s speech itself — the words Pezeshkian chooses before a hall of leaders whose governments are, in several cases, aligned against him — and whether the “another one” Trump mentioned materializes into a further round of talks.
