PM Meets Iran's President, Raises Worker Safety and Shipping Concerns
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York on Wednesday, seeking Tehran's help to protect Bangladeshi workers and ships caught in Middle East tensions.
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In a Nutshell
- Tarique Rahman and Masoud Pezeshkian held bilateral talks at New York's Hyatt Grand Central hotel on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session on September 23, 2026.
- Rahman raised concerns about the safety of Bangladeshi migrant workers in the Middle East amid ongoing regional conflict.
- He asked Iran to help ensure safe passage for Bangladeshi ships and containers through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route affected by regional tensions.
- Rahman urged that the wider Iran-related conflict be settled through diplomacy rather than further military action.
- Bangladesh's Foreign Affairs State Minister Humaiun Kobir and PM's Adviser Mahdi Amin also attended, later briefing reporters on the meeting.
Context
Pezeshkian arrived in New York to defend Iran's positions at the UNGA and held several bilateral meetings on his first day, including with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Regional instability tied to the broader Middle East conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and raised risks for the roughly hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi workers employed across Gulf and Middle Eastern countries. This year's UNGA session, themed "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation," is being presided over by Bangladeshi diplomat Khalilur Rahman.
Why It Matters
Bangladesh's economy depends heavily on remittances sent home by migrant workers in the Middle East, making their safety a direct economic concern for Dhaka. Disruptions to Hormuz shipping lanes could also affect Bangladesh's energy imports and trade costs, since much of its oil and LNG supply passes through the strait. Securing Iran's cooperation, even informally, gives Bangladesh a diplomatic channel to manage risks it cannot control directly.
What We Think
It remains unclear whether Iran made any concrete commitments on safe passage or worker protection, since the readout so far reflects Bangladesh's requests rather than agreed outcomes. Continued escalation in the Middle East could force Dhaka to explore alternative energy routes or repatriation plans for workers if conditions worsen.