NEW YORK (Dispatches) --
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a series of high-level meetings in New York on Friday and Saturday, presenting a seven-day plan to Washington through Qatari intermediaries and pressing for an end to “economic terrorism” against Iran.
Speaking to reporters in New York on Friday, Araghchi said Iran has conveyed a concrete proposal to the United States through intermediaries.
“We have introduced a plan to the United States through the intermediaries that if certain conditions are met, the strait will be open in seven days,” he said, referring to the Strait of Hormuz. He made clear Iran will not accept “coercion, threats, or intimidation”.
Addressing a high-level meeting of the Global Development Initiative on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session on Friday, Araghchi said sustainable development cannot be achieved without peace and respect for international law.
“Developing countries need financial resources, technology, knowledge and cooperation, not more barriers,” he said.
He censured the continued use of unilateral coercive measures as a tool of political pressure against developing countries.
“Iran has faced such measures for decades, and they have intensified over recent years and months,” he said.
“From our perspective, the devastating impact of these measures on ordinary people constitutes economic terrorism. The United Nations must stand against such coercive measures and call for their complete and unconditional lifting.”
Araghchi also condemned the U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran as “a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter,” saying the attacks have martyred thousands, including women and children, and destroyed civilian infrastructure.
He cited a primary school in Minab
where 168 students were killed, the Pasteur Institute and a sports complex in Lamerd, saying places representing “education, health and hope” had been turned into scenes of “blood, death and destruction”.
In a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Araghchi attributed regional insecurity and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz directly to “U.S. and Israeli military aggression,” noting that European countries including Britain have provided support.
He stressed that lasting regional stability depends on “ending the occupation and ensuring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”.
In talks with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Araghchi said Iran is determined to strengthen mutual trust among regional states, describing security as “an indivisible whole” and calling for increased dialogue to dispel “misunderstandings created by common adversaries’ propaganda”.
In a separate meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, he briefed his counterpart on Iran-Oman consensus regarding safe shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
During talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Araghchi praised Moscow’s opposition to “U.S. warmongering unilateralism” and reaffirmed that Iran “while demonstrating diplomatic seriousness, is also determined to defend its national interests and security”.
He also met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, calling on the international community to “hold the aggressor accountable” and stressing that restoring maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz requires the United States to first stop creating insecurity.
Araghchi was also scheduled to hold talks with counterparts from France, Germany and Italy, as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief.
He has offered Iran’s readiness to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid escalating border tensions, stressing that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and within the framework of good-neighborly relations.