Thousands protest Iranian president’s UN visit, urge regime change

More than 2,000 people gathered outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday to protest Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s appearance at the UN General Assembly, with demonstrators urging a regime change. The protest, organized by the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC), included chants of 'Free Iran' as participants condemned Tehran's leadership and called for its ouster in favor of a democratic republic.

Protesters also aimed at condemning the surge in executions under Pezeshkian’s tenure. Iran Human Rights, a Norwegian-based NGO, says at least 1,000 people have been executed in 2025. "We don’t believe people who rule an authoritarian regime should be invited to speak in the United Nations," said Neda, 24, of Stockholm, who spoke to The Post. Shirin Nariman, 61, of Virginia, told AP that Pezeshkian, as far as I’m concerned, is a murderer." The protest drew Iranian-Americans and others who urged international pressure and a transition to democracy in Iran.

Peymaneh Shafie, 49, of Berkeley, Calif., echoed the outrage, blasting Pezeshkian as one of the key people responsible for the chaos in the Middle East. "He’s killing Iranian people. He’s not our representative," Shafie said. "This regime is not going to be reformed. It’s not going to change. The UN is set to reimpose heavy sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program."

Pezeshkian was at the UN to try and convince the West that Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons, calling on the assembly to halt the international sanctions set to snap into place on Saturday. "I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons."

Reuters reported that the United Nations was poised to reimpose heavy sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Analysts said the protests highlighted broader concerns within the international community about Tehran’s leadership and the ongoing diplomacy surrounding its nuclear ambitions.