Mohammad Sio
22 September 2026•Update: 22 September 2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres following his arrival in New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the state news agency IRNA reported Tuesday.
During the call, the two sides discussed issues on the agenda of the General Assembly and exchanged views on Guterres’ efforts to promote international peace and security, IRNA said.
Speaking to Iranian reporters at the start of his visit, Araghchi said Tehran’s main objective is to use the UN as a major international platform to defend what he described as the rights, interests and legitimate claims of the Iranian people.
He said the visit came after what he called a “cowardly war” launched against Iran by the US and Israel and subsequent developments.
Araghchi said the UN remains the world’s largest international forum and provides countries with an important platform to present their positions and messages to the international community.
He added that Iran seeks each year to use the General Assembly to set out its positions and defend the rights of the Iranian people.
Araghchi also criticized what he described as a loss of trust in the UN, accusing some countries of acting “without regard for international institutions, international law or the collective human conscience.”
He accused Western countries of failing to seriously condemn the Israeli “crimes” in Palestine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Araghchi said restoring trust in the UN is therefore an “important discussion” and argued that the General Assembly offers an opportunity to discuss both how that trust is lost and how it can be rebuilt.
Araghchi arrived in New York on Monday evening at the head of a diplomatic delegation to attend the UN gathering.
The General Debate of the 81st UN General Assembly began Tuesday and is scheduled to run through Sept. 28 at UN headquarters in New York. The session is being held under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
