Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized UAE diplomat Lana Nusseibeh's bid for the position of UN Secretary-General, stating that the move aims to "clear diplomatic obstacles for the Greater Israel project" and "whitewash a systematic genocide." Ghalibaf likened this to "a fox guarding the henhouse." Nusseibeh, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the UN, announced her candidacy last week, saying it was time for "generational change, proactive diplomacy, and an unrelenting focus on impact." Current UN Secretary-General António Guterres's term is set to conclude at the end of December.