Tehran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says that Iran will not abandon its right to be present in the UN General Assembly, stressing that attending the UN meeting is not a privilege given by Washington. Baqaei emphasized that being in New York held no charm for Iranian representatives, but it was a trench that must not be abandoned.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Baqaei, speaking in a televised program, emphasized that participating in the UN General Assembly was a legal right rather than a favor from others, as Iran was one of the 50 founding member states of the UN. He recalled that seven months had passed since recent conflicts and crimes against Iran, asserting that the country had a duty to attend the most important international event to make the justice and rights of the Iranian people heard by the world.

He pointed out that the opposing side used every tool to prevent the Iranian delegation's participation, ranging from derogatory remarks and media propaganda to abusing its commitments as the host government by creating delays or refusing to issue visas for several delegation members. Baqaei affirmed that such sabotage and negative propaganda would never cause Iran to back down from its legitimate right to attend the summit and explicitly explain the principled positions of the Islamic Republic and the great Iranian nation.