Iran’s Pezeshkian denounces US “terrorism” at UN after Trump threats; US delegation walks out

United Nations: Iran's president said Wednesday that his people have been “victims of terrorism” by the United States, delivering a rare wartime speech at the UN General Assembly a day after President Donald Trump said he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.In a defiant speech, President Masoud Pezeshkian held up large photos of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the more than 150 schoolchildren killed on the first days of the war.During Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s UN address, where he erroneously claimed that Iran’s military power was “defensive,” the attending U.S. delegation walked out. pic.twitter.com/ros4EX0b9V— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) September 23, 2026 11 Killed, Including Pregnant Woman, As Gunmen Storm South African Township HomeIranian President Pezeshkian, in his UN speech, displayed to the world public the photos of the Minab children killed by America and the Iranian scientists and citizens killed by Israel, once again exposing the inhumane treatment they suffered ‼️ pic.twitter.com/aAq2tLxahK— Syed Abbas Araghchi Parody (@Araghchhi) September 23, 2026 “We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said at the General Assembly. “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.”He added about the United States: “Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.” Toward the end of his speech, Pezeshkian called out Trump by name.“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.He also said one thing that was measurably false: "We did not hit civilian populations.” Mariners and migrant workers in the region have been among the civilians killed in Iran's attacks since the war began. Iran’s president says his country is ready to talk, but don’t mistake that for being afraid to fight...Masoud Pezeshkian insists Iran has “never started a war” and says the current conflict was imposed on his country.“We’re not afraid of fighting a war,” he said, vowing…— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 23, 2026 Rome's Colosseum Shuts For A Day After 22-Year-Old Worker Falls To His DeathA busy 24 hours for US-Iran relationsArriving in New York under heavy security and scrutiny, Pezeshkian -- who, within Iran's political landscape, is considered a moderate politician -- addressed world leaders a day after Trump used the same stage to suggest he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn't reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.Hours later, Trump told reporters that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met for about three hours with the Iranian officials on the sidelines of the annual gathering. But he offered few details about how the discussions transpired or the substance of the exchange.“It was a very good meeting,” Trump said. The president later added that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it's something.” Also on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump is open to meeting with Pezeshkian while he's in New York.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian:Iran 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. pic.twitter.com/SfcNHZZkp7— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 23, 2026 6-Year-Old Chinese Girl Sets Women's Rubik's Cube World Record With 4.27-Second Average But Tehran downplayed Tuesday's unscheduled exchange, which was the first indirect talks between US and Iranian officials since a June ceasefire unravelled. Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, maintained the country's negotiating position in talks with US officials, demanding that Washington end its blockade of Iranian ports and release frozen Iranian assets,Baghaei said the talks -- conducted indirectly through Qatari mediators -- were “not anything new.”More than a year of negotiations have taken placePezeshkian's address elaborated on where Tehran stands as more than a year of start-stop negotiations between the two longtime adversaries have failed to produce a sustainable solution. His speech came as intermittent attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast, where commercial shipping remained below prewar levels.Erdogan’s Kashmir Rhetoric: Why Turkey’s President Raises Issue Every Year At UN General Assembly His address last year came months after the 12-day Israel-Iran war that saw the assassination of many of the Islamic Republic's highest military and political leaders and once again broke down weeks of negotiations with the United States.“Ladies and gentlemen, you all bore witness that this past June, my country was subjected to a savage aggression and flagrant contravention of the most elementary principles of international law,” Pezeshkian said at the time. (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his United Nations General Assembly speech to call out President Trump and Israel, challenging narratives about Iran as a terrorist threat, shedding light on the aggressions committed against the Iranian population, and doubling down on Iran’s hold on the Strait of Hormuz.“The United States president described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism. I come from an Iran in which our esteemed Supreme Leader was assassinated without any legal framework or reason,” Pezeshkian said, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled for 37 years until his assassination in February. “I come from an Iran where in truth, they bombed a school … with weapons used by the United States and Israel. They were innocent.... Those who are terrorists … describe us as such.”It was at this point in Pezeshkian’s speech that the U.S. delegate to the U.N. walked out—as the Cuban and Iranian delegations had done during Trump’s speech the day before.“We responded, but we did not hit civilian populations,” he continued. “They came into surrounding territories and targeted our universities, our health care centers, our schools, our hospitals.”Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian:We responded, but we did not hit civilian populations.They came into surrounding territories and targeted our universities, our healthcare centers, our schools, our hospitals. pic.twitter.com/X7NWqaruKF— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 23, 2026The Iranian president also refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, an issue that has caused prices to rise in the U.S. and one that Trump claimed would be resolved months ago.“In the waters of the Strait of Hormuz … we cannot let some have free access and gain their interest from a waterway, while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggressions upon us, to impose insecurity upon us, to forbid us access to our own waterways,” he said. “They close access for us to our own waterway, yet they keep supplying missiles and deadly military technologies to bring insecurity to all of the lands surrounding that waterway.”He also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to pursuing “peaceful nuclear technology”—which Trump has long claimed to be an existential threat to the entire world.“Iran does not accept for nuclear technology to be at the exclusive disposal of some, of a handful. We will not bow our head and give up the right that is inherently ours,” Pezeshkian said. “We say it clearly: no nuclear weapons, and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology.”Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian:We will not bow our head and give up the right that is inherently ours. We say it clearly: no nuclear weapons, and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology. pic.twitter.com/YsMSrKNuw0— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 23, 2026This speech comes the day after Trump asked the U.N. audience—in front of the Iranian delegation—if he should “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly” or “drive them into hell with no chance of survival.” It comes almost seven months into a war that has resulted in at least 3,000 Iranian deaths, 19 American deaths, and virtually none of the Trump administration’s initial goals.