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Archive photo · 13 December 2025Ghalibaf Slams UAE Bid for UN Secretary-General, Says It Whitewashes Gaza Genocide
5 West Asian3 Other2 Western AlternativePhoto: Mehr News Agency, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Ghalibaf accuses Lana Nusseibeh of promoting Greater Israel. He says UAE bid aims to clear the runway for Israel’s expansion.
UAE bid challenged
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized the United Arab Emirates bid for United Nations secretary-general, writing on X that it aims to "clear the diplomatic runway for Greater Israel project and whitewash a systematic genocide." Ghalibaf linked the UAE bid to a Gaza-related message, writing, "Defending the Gaza tragedy is the resume; the fox is updating the LinkedIn profile to apply for the henhouse guard job," in his post on Sunday.
PressTV also framed Ghalibaf’s remarks as an accusation that UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh’s candidacy seeks to "whitewash a systematic genocide" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. WANA News Agency reported that Ghalibaf compared Nusseibeh’s bid to "putting a fox running to guard the henhouse," while also alleging the nomination was intended to pave the way for the "Greater Israel" project and whitewash genocide in Gaza.
Nusseibeh’s candidacy
Lana Nusseibeh submitted her bid to take the top job at the international organization, and PressTV said she announced her candidacy on X as the first woman to seek to lead the world body in its 80-year history. Nusseibeh said she is entering the race because the UN needs to act more urgently, bring people together, and drive the work forward until it produces concrete results, and she added, "That is how we rebuild trust in the United Nations and ensure it delivers meaningful change for the people it exists to serve," on X.
The Times of Israel said the United Arab Emirates formally nominated Lana Nusseibeh as the next United Nations secretary-general in a move that could break the ongoing deadlock to replace António Guterres. The Times of Israel also said Nusseibeh’s nomination came after six rounds of voting in the Security Council failed to produce a candidate acceptable to all five permanent Security Council members.
What is at stake
PressTV said Nusseibeh’s candidacy followed her announcement on Wednesday, and it described her as a former UAE ambassador to the UN for more than a decade who has faced criticism over the UAE’s alleged role in backing paramilitary fighters in Sudan’s civil war. The Times of Israel reported that Nusseibeh’s candidacy could face pushback over allegations that the UAE has supported the Rapid Support Forces, which are accused of committing war crimes in Sudan, and it said Abu Dhabi denied the charges.
The Times of Israel said Nusseibeh told Reuters she had taken leave from her UAE post and would focus on Sudan’s humanitarian crisis when asked how the issue might affect her candidacy. PressTV said Qalibaf’s post came after Nusseibeh announced her candidacy, and it tied the dispute to claims about Israel’s war in Gaza, including that more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.