Iran's Pezeshkian Rebukes Trump at UN, Keeps Door Open to Diplomacy

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used a wartime address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday to accuse US President Donald Trump of a "bullying mentality," while insisting that Tehran would not surrender in its conflict with Washington and remained open to a negotiated end to the war.

Speaking before the 193-member assembly, Pezeshkian said external threats would only strengthen Iran's resolve, pushing back against Trump's warning that Iran could be annihilated if no deal were reached. He described the US president's remarks from the previous day as evidence of a coercive approach, and said the Iranian people would not yield to pressure. He also rejected Trump's characterization of Iran as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, arguing that those who train terrorists are in no position to level such accusations.

Repeatedly during his speech, Pezeshkian said Iran was prepared to resolve tensions with the United States through negotiations, but cautioned that Tehran would not accept the language of force.

The US delegation walked out as Pezeshkian began speaking. The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pezeshkian opened his address by accusing the United States of killing civilians during the conflict, holding up photographs that included an image of schoolgirls in a classroom. A missile strike on a primary school in Minab on February 28 — hours after US and Israeli attacks on Iran began the conflict — killed more than 175 children and teachers, according to Iranian officials. The Pentagon has not publicly released the findings of its investigation into the Minab strike, the deadliest civilian-casualty incident involving the US military in decades. An initial internal US military investigation found that US forces were likely responsible for the strike.

On the nuclear question, Pezeshkian said Iran had no intention of seeking nuclear bombs but would not relinquish its right to a peaceful nuclear program, framing the position as neither pursuing weapons nor abandoning nuclear knowledge.

Seven months into a conflict that has unsettled markets and pushed the Gulf toward the brink of a wider war, Washington has launched an unprecedented economic offensive after military action failed to force Tehran to yield. Iranian leaders worry that a worsening economy — marked by surging prices, weaker trade and pressure on household incomes — could reignite nationwide unrest that has repeatedly challenged the Islamic Republic.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passes, has become a focal point of US-Iran tensions. Tehran has conveyed its conditions for reopening the strategic waterway to the United States through mediators, Iranian sources said on Tuesday. Pezeshkian argued that it cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the strait while Iran is denied access to shipping through it, warning that the permanent deployment of hostile fleets and an expansion of the war would not bring peace.