Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian tells Donald Trump that Iran will never “bend at the knee” in a defiant address at the United Nations. He speaks for the first time since Washington and Israel launch what outlets describe as an all-out war on Iran, and he vows Tehran will not yield to pressure.
Pezeshkian also accuses the United States of “terrorism,” citing Washington’s role in the assassination of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the war, according to the reports. France 24 and Al-Monitor both note that he displays a photograph of Khamenei while making the accusation, and France 24 adds that, despite the confrontational tone, he calls for diplomacy.
On the sidelines of the General Assembly, France 24 reports Iranian officials downplay their talks with US counterparts as “not anything new,” suggesting limited or ongoing engagement. Vanguard, Al-Monitor, and Channel NewsAsia focus more on the message directed at Trump—defiance toward the US and Israel and refusal to “give in”—without the same level of detail on side meetings.
