Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Türkiye on Wednesday 11 November to attend the COP31 United Nations climate summit in Antalya, saying before he left Tehran that he would use the gathering to raise the environmental damage caused by the war waged against Iran by the United States and Israel.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Wednesday morning, Pezeshkian said the summit would be a chance to set out Iran's position and to discuss what he called the crimes committed by the United States and Israel in the region. He also claimed that both countries had faced the consequences of their actions in their own elections, describing the results as a rejection by voters of what he called warmongers and aggressors.

"During these meetings, we will discuss the Islamic Republic's legitimate positions and the crimes committed by the United States and Israel in the region, as well as how they have witnessed the consequences of their ugly actions in elections held in their own countries, as reflected in the choices made by their own people," he said, according to Press TV.

What Pezeshkian said before departing

Pezeshkian said the climate summit would provide an opportunity to discuss the climate situation and regional developments, as well as what he described as the destructive effects of war and aggression on the environment in Iran and the wider region. He said he was attending at the official invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and that representatives from 196 countries would take part, including 71 countries represented by their presidents or prime ministers.

The Iranian president also said meetings had been scheduled with leaders and senior officials from more than 10 countries, including Erdoğan. Describing relations between Tehran and Ankara as very good, he said the two countries shared significant common ground on regional, economic, social and cultural issues.

In a message posted on X before his departure, Pezeshkian questioned Washington's stated reason for its military campaign against Iran. "They waged war, claiming to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. Then they used the PrSM missile in Lamerd for the first time. Now they invoke the 'Mother of All Bombs' to pursue diplomacy through threats. No contradiction, but a disgrace. Who threatens global peace and security?" he wrote.

Why the visit matters

The trip puts Iran's president on a major international stage for the first time since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on 28 February 2026, a conflict that has reshaped the region's politics and drawn in Gulf states, Yemen and Lebanon. COP31, the 31st session of the UN climate conference, is being held in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, with world leaders, experts and civil society representatives gathering to discuss joint action on climate change.

Pezeshkian's decision to use a climate summit to press Iran's case over the war underlines how Tehran is seeking to keep the conflict on the international agenda even at meetings devoted to other subjects. His remarks about elections follow the United States midterm elections on 3 November, in which President Donald Trump's Republican Party lost ground, a result Trump himself has linked in part to the war on Iran.

Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency, cited by the news agency ANI, reported the same remarks, confirming that Pezeshkian left Tehran for Türkiye on Wednesday and planned to raise the ecological damage he attributes to the United States and Israel. ANI's report also confirmed the planned bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

Frequently asked questions

What is COP31? COP31 is the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Antalya, Türkiye, in November 2026. Delegates from nearly 200 countries are attending to discuss action on climate change.

Why is Iran's president attending? Pezeshkian said he would discuss the climate situation and regional developments, and raise what he described as environmental damage caused by the war against Iran, as well as holding bilateral meetings with more than 10 leaders.

What did Pezeshkian say about the US and Israel? He claimed both countries had faced electoral consequences for their military actions, and said on X that Washington's use of new weapons and threats of the "Mother of All Bombs" showed who threatened global peace and security.