Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was welcomed by a crowd at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport late on Saturday, September 26, as he returned with the Iranian delegation from the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.
“We went to the UN to defend the dignity and honor of our people,” Pezeshkian told the crowd. “We stand strong, we serve our people and we will persist to our last breath.” He added: “You have humbled me; I do not consider myself worthy of your presence. I am your servant and I thank you.”

Iranian news site Fararu reported that the airport saw two different gatherings that day, with hardliners protesting against the president hours before his arrival while his supporters turned out to welcome him.
He was welcomed at the airport by First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and several ministers. “They kill women and children and claim to fight terrorism; the world no longer believes them,” Pezeshkian said. According to Iranian media, protesters who gathered near the airport pavilion before his arrival chanted against both Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, opposing diplomacy and a possible deal with the United States.