Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani is on a diplomatic offensive in New York at the United Nations as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shores up his alliances and partnerships in the region.
Kani met with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Rashid Bou Habib, on Wednesday evening in New York, while Pezeshkian reached out to Qatar to discuss bilateral cooperation. “Cooperation between Iran and Qatar has numerous mutual benefits for both sides, and I will seriously pursue the development of relations,” Pezeshkian told Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Significantly, Doha hosts Hamas, and Iran backs the terrorist organization. Iranian state media IRNA reported that “the Iranian president-elect also said that Tehran and Doha share common views, with the two maintaining that dialog is the only successful way to expand cooperation that fosters regional stability and development as well.”
Meanwhile, in New York at the UN, according to the IRNA report, Kani “called the continuation of talks and consultation with the Lebanese authorities one of the important priorities of Iran and emphasized his country’s strong support for Lebanon’s stability and security.”
'Hezbollah offensive is due to Israel war in Gaza'
Iran underlined how important attacks from Lebanon on Israel are, as they are “supporting the resistance in Palestine.”
Kani also said his country was trying to “prevent the expansion of the war in the region,” which is strange considering that Iran has pushed Hezbollah in Lebanon to continue its attacks on Israel.
Habib, in turn, praised “Iran’s support for the stability and security of Lebanon” and said, “We are looking for peace and stability in the region. In addition to ending the war against Gaza, efforts should be made to eliminate the risk of expanding the scope of the war in the region.”
Kani also called on the UN Security Council to take measures to force Israel to “immediately and unconditionally” end its attacks in Gaza at a Wednesday meeting chaired by Russia.
Moscow, Beijing, Ankara, and Tehran have all backed Hamas after the October 7 attacks. “I would like to thank the Russian Federation for organizing this timely open debate. The Israeli regime has destroyed over 80% of residential areas and all infrastructure, including hospitals, mosques, churches, educational centers, and historical sites in Gaza,” Kani said.
In an interview with CNN, he “reiterated his country’s pledge to use domestic and international legal and judicial frameworks and mechanisms to execute justice on the perpetrators of Lt.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani,” according to the IRNA.
On CNN, Kani said, “Everyone knows the conflict in Southern Lebanon is rooted in the Zionist crimes in Gaza.“Over the past nine months, due to the continuation of crimes and genocide, regional resistance fronts have become active against the Zionists. Therefore, whenever the Zionist crime in Gaza ends, it is obvious that it can be expected that the resistance will not take action in other areas.”
This is the usual reiteration regarding Hezbollah’s nine months of attacks, part of Iran’s plan to instigate a multifront war in the region against Israel.