Iran's Pezeshkian lands in Antalya for COP31, plans to accuse US and Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has arrived in the Turkish city of Antalya to take part in the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP31, and said he intends to use the gathering to raise environmental harm he attributes to the United States and Israel. The Times of Israel reported, citing Iran's official IRNA news agency, that Pezeshkian landed in Antalya and would also hold talks with leaders and officials of participating countries on the margins of the summit.

Before departing Tehran, Pezeshkian said that during the conference Iran would discuss steps taken by America and Israel "to destroy the environment," according to the same report. Abu Ali Express, a Hebrew-language Telegram channel that follows Arab and Iranian affairs, reported that the Iranian president was greeted with a military reception when he touched down in Turkey.

What COP31 is

COP stands for Conference of the Parties, the annual summit of countries that are party to the UN's framework treaty on climate change. The number refers to how many such meetings have been held; this one, COP31, is the 31st. Heads of state and government typically attend the opening days, and the conference also serves as a venue for bilateral meetings between leaders who may not otherwise sit down together. IRNA's statement, as quoted by The Times of Israel, indicated that Pezeshkian plans to use the summit in that way, meeting counterparts on the sidelines.

Antalya is a city on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Turkey, a NATO member that maintains working relations with Iran, is hosting the conference there.

Who is speaking

Masoud Pezeshkian is Iran's president, the elected head of the government. In the Islamic Republic's system, the president runs the executive branch, while ultimate authority on major questions of state, including foreign and security policy, rests with the Supreme Leader. A president's statements abroad therefore carry the government's voice but sit within limits set above him.

IRNA, the Islamic Republic News Agency, is Iran's official state news agency. Its reports reflect what the Iranian government chooses to announce, and the account of Pezeshkian's arrival and plans for the summit comes from that channel.

The trip follows other recent diplomacy by the Iranian president. A photograph published with The Times of Israel report shows Pezeshkian meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on October 27, 2026, on the sidelines of a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), a grouping of major natural gas producers, held at the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Why the remark matters to Israel

Iran and Israel are long-standing adversaries, and Tehran regularly pairs the United States and Israel in its official criticism. Pezeshkian's comment signals that Iran intends to bring that line into a forum focused on climate and the environment rather than security. He did not specify, in the remarks reported, which actions he had in mind or what evidence Iran would present.

The statement is Pezeshkian's own characterisation. Neither report includes any detail supporting the claim that the United States or Israel acted to damage the environment, and it should be read as the stated position of the Iranian president rather than as an established finding.

How the two reports compare

The two organisations agree on the core event: Pezeshkian has arrived in Turkey to attend the climate conference. The Times of Israel, drawing on IRNA, provides the location, the name of the summit, the plan for sideline meetings and the president's remark about the United States and Israel. Abu Ali Express adds that he received a military welcome on landing, a detail not mentioned in the Times of Israel account. Abu Ali Express does not mention the remarks about the United States and Israel.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not say which specific American or Israeli actions Pezeshkian intends to raise, whether he will do so in a formal address or in private meetings, or which leaders he is scheduled to meet. No response from the United States, Israel or the conference organisers has been reported.