Pezeshkian defies US at UN

by WILL COOPER
NEW YORK, (CAJ News) – IRANIAN President Masoud Pezeshkian used the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday to deliver an uncompromising account of a nearly seven-month war with the United States, insisting that Tehran will defend itself while leaving the door open to diplomacy.

Addressing the 193-member assembly a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran if no agreement is reached, Pezeshkian rejected Washington’s portrayal of Iran as the aggressor.

“We are not terrorists — we are victims of terrorism,” he said, accusing the United States and Israel of attacking Iran and saying Iranian civilians had been targeted.

He held up photographs of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren killed by US and during the opening days of the war.

Pezeshkian said Iran had acted in self-defence and refused to portray military pressure as a path to submission.

“America and Israel attacked us,” he said. “Yes they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.”

Yet his message was not a rejection of diplomacy.

Pezeshkian said Iran remained prepared for dialogue and negotiations, provided they were not conducted through threats or force.

He also challenged Washington over the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that Iran could not be expected to accept restrictions on its own access while foreign naval forces remained deployed in the waterway.

His address came as diplomatic activity intensified in New York.

US and Iranian officials held lengthy indirect discussions on the sidelines of the General Assembly, with US envoy Steve Witkoff describing the meeting as productive.

Iran has also found diplomatic space among countries calling for negotiations.

Pakistan has been pressing Washington and Tehran to maintain contacts, while Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told the General Assembly that the Gulf was experiencing one of its most dangerous periods and called for diplomacy as the lasting solution.

The contrast with Trump’s address could hardly have been sharper.

The US president presented Iran with a choice between a new agreement and destruction, while Pezeshkian presented resistance and diplomacy as compatible positions.

In a forceful address to the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that he could “annihilate” Iran if a peace agreement is not achieved, emphasizing his administration’s efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Trump predicted a potential deal after the November midterm elections and called on other nations to economically isolate Iran.

Highlighting recent aggressive foreign policy moves, Trump noted his support for Israel in actions against Iran, a raid in Venezuela, and threats to seize Greenland.

He reaffirmed the necessity of American military dominance in the Western Hemisphere, citing actions in Venezuela as a deterrent to regional threats.

Trump also criticized various neighboring nations, labeling Mexico as a center of cartel violence and calling Cuba a failing state.

He renewed attacks on international institutions like the International Criminal Court and the UN bureaucracy. Despite past confrontational speeches, this year’s address was notably less dramatic.

He defended U.S. military personnel against war crime allegations and stated opposition to any international legal oversight.

Following the speech, Trump was scheduled to meet with over a dozen world leaders to discuss ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, part of a broader diplomatic push at the UN.”

For Tehran, the UN platform therefore became more than a diplomatic appearance: it was an opportunity to place Iran’s wartime narrative before the international community and insist that negotiations, rather than coercion, must determine the conflict’s future.

– CAJ News