Israeli Scientist Meets Iranian President

Israeli scholar Lior Sternfeld met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on September 24 in New York. The meeting was part of an interfaith dialogue organized by the Iranian president at the UN General Assembly. Such contacts between Iranian officials and Israelis are not common, especially at public events.

Lior Sternfeld, the author of a book on Jewish history in Iran, was invited to the event by Iranian organizers who knew of his Israeli origins. The scholar drew attention to the issue of Hamas hostages in Gaza and gave a copy of his book to the Iranian president.

According to Sternfeld, Pezeschkian expressed the view that the war should be stopped. Iran also expressed its willingness to mediate in the release of the hostages. Rabbis, Muslims and Christians were also at the meeting, and representatives of the ultra-Orthodox group Neturei Karta were among the guests.