Statement by the Congressional Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus on the Planned Attendance of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the 81st United Nations General Assembly

September 19, 2026 Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Statement by the Congressional Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus Washington, D.C. As reports indicate that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian plans to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly , the Congressional Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus urges the international community not to ignore the regime's worsening human rights record. While Tehran seeks to present a moderate face at the United Nations, the reality for the Iranian people is continued repression. Human rights organizations report that more than 4,100 executions have been carried out under Pezeshkian's tenure, including political prisoners, protesters, and members of ethnic and religious minorities. The Iranian regime's principal war is not with foreign adversaries. Its primary war is against its own people. Executions, torture, arbitrary arrests, sham trials, and suppression of free expression remain the regime's tools of control. As President Pezeshkian addresses world leaders in New York, we call on the United States and its allies to publicly condemn these abuses, support international accountability efforts, and ensure that human rights remain central to all engagement with Iran. We stand with the Iranian people and the thousands of Iranian Americans from more than 40 states who support a free, secular, democratic, and non-nuclear republic in Iran. The voices of those executed, imprisoned, and silenced must not be forgotten. Issues : Foreign Affairs - International