Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations, joins us in The Delegates Lounge as his country holds the rotating monthly presidency of the UN Security Council. 

July is typically a sleepy period here at the UN. But not this year! That’s because a UN General Assembly conference to discuss Palestinian statehood, originally scheduled for June, will now land at the end of this month. The ambassador articulates Pakistan's support for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders, saying, "there is a clear understanding among the majority of the membership that we need to move forward on Palestinian statehood."

The conference was pushed back because of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Pakistan swiftly criticized the bombing by the United States. As a nuclear state, Pakistan is not a signatory to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, but the ambassador says that Iran, as a signatory, should abide by it. His most ardent remarks relate to the recent Pakistan-India conflict over Kashmir. Pakistan has nominated President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in concluding a ceasefire. Regarding Ukraine, Pakistan abstained on UN resolutions calling on Russia to leave Ukraine — until a recent twist in February.

This conversation took place at the UN headquarters in New York shortly before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's confirmation hearing of Mike Waltz to become UN ambassador. We did, however, discuss the mood at the UN as it faces budget tightening and calls for reform.

Listen Up!: We recently launched a new YouTube channel, including our previous episodes since creating The Delegates Lounge last year. For our regular listeners, we’ll keep up our playlist on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the other apps. But YouTube lets you watch videos and subtitles translated into a variety of languages — from Arabic to Ukrainian. Find us on YouTube and hit the “Subscribe” button!

Speakers:

J. Alex Tarquinio (host) is a resident correspondent at the United Nations in New York and co-founder of The Delegates Lounge podcast. @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X and @thedelegateslounge on Instagram.

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad (guest) is Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of July. @Asimiahmad of @PakistanUN_NY, @ForeignOfficePk on X and @pakmission_un, @foreignofficepk on Instagram.

Photo Caption and Credit:

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of July, chairs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East (Yemen). UN Photo/Manuel Elías; July 9, 2025, 10:03 a.m.