Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of attacking his country and said Iranians had become “victims of terrorism” during a defiant address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
Pezeshkian’s speech came a day after US President Donald Trump warned that he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if Tehran failed to reach a deal to end the nearly seven-month conflict.
Standing before world leaders, Pezeshkian defended Iran’s actions and held up large photographs of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 Iranian schoolchildren who, he said, were killed during the opening days of the war.
“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said.
“Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. And we defended ourselves with utmost strength. America and Israel attacked us.”
Pezeshkian later addressed Trump directly, saying Iran remained open to diplomacy but would not negotiate under threats or pressure.
“It must be understood by Mr Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force,” he said.
The address came during a tense 24-hour period in US-Iran relations.
Trump had told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that he faced a choice between reaching a deal that would allow Iran to rebuild and escalating the conflict by “annihilating” the Islamic Republic.
Hours later, Trump revealed that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had held an approximately three-hour meeting with Iranian officials on the sidelines of the UN gathering.
Trump described the meeting as “very good”, although he said the Iranian representatives were “not the highest level”.
The meeting was the first indirect contact between US and Iranian officials since a June ceasefire collapsed, although Tehran played down its significance.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the discussions, conducted through Qatari mediators, were “not anything new”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly described the meeting as a continuation of previous conversations and said it should not be characterised as a major breakthrough.
Tensions Over Iran’s War Position
Pezeshkian’s speech highlighted Tehran’s position after more than a year of intermittent negotiations between Iran and the United States failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Iran has demanded that Washington end its blockade of Iranian ports and release frozen Iranian assets as part of negotiations.
The conflict has also disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where commercial traffic remains below pre-war levels.
Following Pezeshkian’s speech, Rubio criticised Iran’s presentation of itself as a victim, questioning its record on human rights and the international system.
“I don’t know what standing Iran has to lecture anyone on human rights or the international system when they habitually violate it,” Rubio said.
The Iranian president, meanwhile, called for international support as Tehran continues to seek a diplomatic resolution while maintaining that Iran will defend itself against further attacks.
His remarks echoed the message delivered during his UN address last year, when he accused Israel of launching what he described as a “savage aggression” against Iran and a violation of international law.
