The Iranian president applauds the defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The newly inked defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has been hailed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who sees it as the first step towards a more comprehensive regional security framework involving the collaboration of Muslim nations in West Asia.

Pezeshkian said the agreement was a “good start” for guaranteeing regional peace and security while speaking to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Wednesday.

The defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is welcomed by Iran. With the support of Muslim nations, this is a positive start for regional security,” he said the participants.

He underlined that regional states must cooperate, communicate, and stand together in order to achieve true security.

Criticism of Israeli assaults

The Iranian president said in his speech that Israel had violated Iranian sovereignty by attacking not just Iran but also Syria, Yemen, and Qatar. Pezeshkian declared, “We condemn Israel’s criminal attack on Qatar,” and added that adversaries’ attempts to split the Iranian people have failed.

He asserted that the Iranian people were still unified behind their army in spite of media warfare, sanctions, and scientist killings. He declared, “Iran will not submit to invaders — rather, we will come out stronger.”

The peaceful nuclear program

Iran’s long-standing stance that its nuclear program is peaceful and not meant for the development of weapons was restated by Pezeshkian. He said, “I reiterate before this assembly: Iran has never attempted to produce a nuclear weapon and will never do so.”

The European “Troika,” which consists of Britain, France, and Germany, came under fire from the president for allegedly supporting sanctions imposed by the United States while feigning loyalty to the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Since the 12-day Iran-Israel confrontation earlier this year, which resulted in the deaths of numerous senior Iranian military and political figures, this was Pezeshkian’s first speech at an international gathering.