Listen to this article

On Tuesday, new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued a statement that the US sanctions imposed on his nation as a mechanism of war, packing a full slate of direct criticism of the United States into his first UN address as head of state. He said, “Sanctions are the new way of war from the US with the nations of the world”. However, some 100 heads of state and government are attending the UN General Assembly leaders’ meeting in New York this week. Raisi delivered his words from Tehran remotely. Raisi was sworn in last month after an election. He is a conservative cleric and former judiciary chief who is close to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He used his time before world leaders to slam the United States and espouse Iran’s Islamic political identity.

Raisi said, “What is seen in our region today proves that not only the hegemonist and the idea of hegemony, but also the project of imposing Westernized identity have failed miserably. Today, the US does not get to exit Iraq and Afghanistan but is expelled. Today, the world doesn’t care about America First or America is Back”. The US military withdrew from Afghanistan and has largely withdrawn from Iraq. He was referring to the slogans used by Republican US President Donald Trump and his successor, Democratic President Joe Biden. Raisi has promised to engage with the United States but has also has struck a hard-line stance.

The Iranian President also ruling out negotiations designed at limiting Iranian missile development and support for regional militias. It is something the Biden administration wants to address. Biden has made clear his desire to find a secure path to salvage the nuclear accord with Iran, which was negotiated by the Obama administration. The indirect talks between the US and Iran have still paused and Washington continues to maintain crippling sanctions on the country. President Biden delivered his words earlier Tuesday during his own UN speech and said, “The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon”.