Iranian Foreign Minister: We did not come to New York to promote war, but to make peace

(CNN) - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday evening that he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian did not go to the General Assembly meetings in New York to promote war but to make peace.

Araqchi said in a post on his official account on the “X” platform: “I told the (Meet The Press) program that I and President Pezeshkian did not come to New York to promote war. We came to build peace,” as he put it.

The Iranian Foreign Minister added: "However, Iran remains steadfast in the face of any aggression - even if it leads to an all-out destructive war. At the same time, we are ready for real diplomacy."

The Iranian Foreign Minister held many meetings and consultations during his presence in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings.

Araqchi criticized what he described as the contradiction in the statements issued by the United States of America, after US President Donald Trump announced, earlier on Saturday, that he rejected Iran’s recent proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Araqchi said in statements from New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings that the meetings held by the Iranian mission during the last days in New York focused on "clarifying the Iranian conditions related to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, in coordination and with the approval of the National Security Council."

He stated in statements carried by the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA), that "these conditions have been detailed and conveyed to the American side through mediators."

The Iranian Foreign Minister said: “This year, after the war that broke out, it is natural for this platform to be a platform for expressing the oppression of the Iranian people, the martyrs of the Minab School, and the martyrs of Iran, led by our martyred leader.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it would allow the Iranian "core delegation", which may include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, to attend the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly.