President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has accused the Israeli embassy of leaking a letter in which he sent his “best wishes” to the new president of Iran.

Israel’s embassy in Dublin rejected the claim and called the remarks “highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous”.

Mr Higgins is in New York where he addressed the UN Summit of the Future at the organisation’s headquarters.

Why don't you ask where it came from? ... Where the criticism came from and how the letter was circulated and by whom and for what purpose?

Speaking to journalists after his address, Mr Higgins was asked about criticism he received for sending a courtesy letter to Masoud Pezeshkian, who became Iran’s president after his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May.

The Israeli embassy in Dublin criticised the letter to Mr Pezeshkian at the time, saying it sent “the wrong message to the people of Iran living in fear under this brutal regime”.

Mr Higgins said on Sunday that the correspondence to Mr Pezeshkian was “standard” for when someone is a “newly elected head of state”.

He added that the letter, which was leaked online in August, emphasised peace in the Middle East and the importance of diplomacy.

When asked about the letter by the Irish Independent, Mr Higgins said: “Why don’t you ask where it came from? … Where the criticism came from and how the letter was circulated and by whom and for what purpose?”

When pushed on the matter, Mr Higgins said: “It was circulated from the Israeli embassy.”

He added that he did not know how Israeli authorities would have obtained the letter and noted that Israel’s ambassador to Ireland was not “in residence” to consult.

Israel recalled its ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich in May in response to Ireland’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

Ms Erlich has not returned to Ireland since, with the embassy stating earlier this month that it hopes “under different, more friendly conditions, Ambassador Erlich will resume her duties in Dublin”.

This baseless accusation is highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous and the embassy rejects it completely

In a statement to the PA news agency, the Israeli embassy in Dublin said: “Unfortunately in Ireland, since the October 7 invasion by Hamas and massacre in Israel, which triggered this awful war, Israel has been subjected to a high level of malicious statements and accusations that have often manifested as incitement to hatred.

“This baseless accusation is highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous and the embassy rejects it completely.

“The fact remains that the letter was written and (therefore) it is the burden of the author to defend its content, which did not mention the threat Iran poses in the region, that it calls for Israel’s destruction, that it arms and funds terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah, not to mention the violations of human rights against its own citizens.”