At UN, Iran's Pezeshkian calls US strikes terrorism, urges talks

Unitednations,UPDATED: Sep 23, 2026 22:16 IST

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that his country had been a “victim of terrorism” by the United States, a day after US President Donald Trump said he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached to end the nearly seven-month war.

In a rare wartime address by a foreign leader whose country is at war with the host nation, Pezeshkian defended Iran, said it had acted in self-defence, and called for talks without “the language of force”. His speech came amid renewed focus on US-Iran contacts after Trump said American envoys had held a meeting with Iranian officials in New York.

Addressing world leaders, Pezeshkian held up large photographs of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 Iranian schoolchildren killed in the first days of the war. “We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he 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.” Later in the speech, he referred to Trump by name and said, “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 also said, falsely, “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.

Pezeshkian arrived in New York under heavy security and scrutiny. Within Iran’s political landscape, he is seen as a moderate politician. His address came a day after Trump used the same stage to publicly weigh a major escalation in the conflict. “I have a big decision to make,” Trump said on Tuesday. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world. Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”

Hours after those remarks, Trump told reporters that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had met Iranian officials for about three hours on the sidelines of the annual UN gathering. He gave few details about the discussions or what was discussed. “It was a very good meeting,” Trump said. He later added that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it’s something.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said on Tuesday that Trump was open to meeting Pezeshkian while he was in New York.

Tehran, however, played down the unscheduled exchange, describing it as the first indirect contact between US and Iranian officials since a June ceasefire unravelled. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei repeated Tehran’s position in talks with Washington, saying the US must end its blockade of Iranian ports and release frozen Iranian assets. Baghaei said the talks, held indirectly through Qatari mediators, were “not anything new”.

Pezeshkian’s address also set out Tehran’s position after more than a year of stop-start negotiations between the two countries failed to produce a lasting solution. The speech came as intermittent attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast, where commercial shipping remained below prewar levels.

Recalling the conflict, Pezeshkian said: “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.” His appearance at the UN brought together the war, the diplomacy around it and the sharp public exchanges between Tehran and Washington, as both sides continued to signal openness to talks while keeping up their accusations.

With PTI Inputs

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