TEHRAN- Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi visited New York on September 18 to attend the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA78).

It is the second time that Raisi is participating in the annual UN meeting during the second year of his presidency.

The presence of the American and Iranian presidents in the UN General Assembly has always been among the hot topics due to the two countries' tense relations. American presidents have tried to meet and negotiate with Iranian presidents at every UN meeting.
 
However, through creating a prejudiced environment, groups such as the terrorist MK0 organization group and Israeli-affiliated pressure groups are trying to widen the gap and escalate the tensions between the two countries. 

Parallel to the first attendance of President Raisi in New York, he was welcomed at the United Nations in a way that he decided to attend the assembly in 2023 despite a high wall of mistrust between Iran and the U.S.

The Iranian people as well as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian president have consistently spoken out against the actions of the American government toward the Islamic Republic both before and after the revolution. However, the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani by the Trump administration has caused immense sadness and grief among the Iranian people.

There have been negotiations between the two countries, the most important of which has been the humanitarian flexibility of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the August prisoner swap agreement between Tehran and Washington, as Iran agreed to release five Iranian-American prisoners. 

Iran’s humanitarian act, implemented with the agreement of President Raisi, shows that it is possible to take constructive measures to secure the interests of the two nations even in an atmosphere of mistrust between the two countries.

Coinciding with the presence of the Iranian delegation in New York, the pressure groups are using negative propaganda and psychological operations to prevent the American government from adopting de-escalation measures toward Iran. 

There are pressure groups that have taken actions such as imposing sanctions on certain institutions and individuals in Iran, spreading non-constructive propaganda against Iran's representation in the UN and its high-ranking delegation, and announcing additional sanctions measures. These actions aim to widen the gap between Iran and the U.S. 

If Biden hopes to address the issues facing the American government and improve relations with Iran during his possible final term in the White House, he should take advantage of President Raisi's visit to New York and work toward a mutually beneficial solution for both nations. This could potentially lead to a positive turning point in the more than four-decades-long hostile relationship between the two countries and increase Biden's chances of success in the upcoming presidential elections against the conservative Republican faction. It is crucial that Biden manage and stabilize this situation effectively in order to achieve a win-win outcome.