Iran wants to play 'constructive role' in world affairs: Pezeshkian to UN

Iran's new president signalled to world leaders Tuesday that he wants to open a constructive chapter in his country's international relations but he made clear that everyone else, including the United States, needs to do their part.

In his first speech at the UN General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders, Masoud Pezeshkian struck a somewhat more measured tone than his predecessors often have in recent years.

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, said Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who ran as a reformer. He took office in July.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opened the door last month to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country's rapidly advancing nuclear programme, telling Iran's civilian government there was no harm in engaging with its enemy.

The United States, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew in 2018 fr