They drag us to a place we do not want to go. In warfare, there is no winner.
Iran's new president Masoud Pezeshkian did not mince words when he discussed Israel's actions ahead of the UN debate, on site in New York, reports AP.
On Tuesday, he will take the stage in the world community. This takes place against the backdrop of Israel's offensive against the Iran-allied Shia militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has claimed hundreds of lives and injured thousands just in the past week.
Unclear about Netanyahu
During the so-called UN week's general debate, member states of the world community are given a quarter of an hour each to speak. As usual, the baton is kicked off by the President of the General Assembly, now Cameroonian Philémon Yang, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Brazil, represented by President Lula da Silva, is traditionally the first to speak. Then it's the turn of US President Joe Biden.
Iran is the fifth speaker during Tuesday afternoon's session, according to the UN's website.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a slot on Thursday afternoon, but it is unclear whether he will actually travel to New York, writes The Jerusalem Post. Netanyahu is being criticized at home and is currently waging war against both the terrorist-stamped Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A victory plan?
Other highly anticipated speeches include the one by Ukraine's war-torn President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to speak on Wednesday – after appearing in the Security Council on Tuesday. Zelensky will also travel to Washington DC, where he is expected to present a victory plan to Joe Biden and meet with presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Russia, which launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, will be represented during the UN week by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In total, 194 speakers are scheduled to speak in the General Assembly, of which only 19 are women, according to AP.
Historically, the UN debate has offered many memorable moments when deceased leaders such as Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, and Cuba's Fidel Castro have delivered show and controversy. And it was during such a debate that US President Donald Trump called North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-Un "rocket man" in 2017.
The debate is surrounded by top-level meetings, including talks on the climate crisis and the sustainable development goals, as well as one-on-one meetings between world leaders.
Tina Magnergård Bjers/TT
Background: The UN General Assembly
TT
The UN General Assembly meets every year in September. This is also when the general debate takes place, where leaders from many of the 193 member states speak at the UN headquarters in New York.
The speakers generally have 15 minutes each and the speaking marathon takes several days to complete.
This year's General Assembly is the 79th.
The UN General Assembly can in principle take up anything except, normally, matters handled by the Security Council. In important issues, a two-thirds majority is required, and each member state has one vote. Unlike the UN Security Council, the Assembly generally cannot make binding decisions. It is seen as important for debate and opinion-forming.
