We want to live in peace,” Masoud Pezeshkian told reporters in New York City as the U.N. General Assembly gets underway. “We don’t wish to be the cause of instability in the region."

Iran is prepared to de-escalate tensions with Israel as long as it sees the same level of commitment on the other side, President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Israeli attacks on Lebanon “cannot go unanswered,” raising the risk of further escalation with Israel and its allies, while also urging western nations to come back to a nuclear accord and lift sanctions.