Iran

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says a United Arab Emirates diplomat's bid to become the next United Nations secretary-general aims to clear the diplomatic runway for Israel’s expansionist and aggressive ambitions under the so-called “Greater Israel” scheme. Qalibaf made the remarks in a post on X on Sunday, saying UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh's candidacy for the UN’s top job also aims to whitewash Israel’s “systematic genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. A bid for UN’s top job to clear the diplomatic runway for Greater Israel project and whitewash a systematic genocide. — محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) October 25, 2026 Defending the Gaza tragedy is the résumé; the fox is updating the LinkedIn profile to apply for the henhouse guard job. https://t.co/r8GuXcrzHI pic.twitter.com/hAe10Ba4jk He added that defending the Gaza tragedy had become a résumé for the UAE’s decision to seek the UN post, drawing a comparison between the country’s pursuit of the position and a fox seeking a job guarding a henhouse. “Defending the Gaza tragedy is the résumé; the fox is updating the LinkedIn profile to apply for the henhouse guard job,” the top Iranian parliamentarian wrote. Qalibaf’s post came after Nusseibeh announced her candidacy for the post of United Nations secretary-general on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to seek to lead the world body in its 80-year history. Nusseibeh, a former UAE ambassador to the UN for more than a decade, brings Palestinian roots and defense of her country’s historic relations with Israel to her candidacy. She has also faced sharp criticism over the UAE’s alleged role in backing paramilitary fighters who have killed thousands in Sudan’s civil war. The UAE has denied the claims. In a post on her X, 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. “That is how we rebuild trust in the United Nations and ensure it delivers meaningful change for the people it exists to serve,” she wrote. More than 74,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war on the beseiged territory.