Iran's Pezeshkian rejects terrorism label at UN and offers talks without force

Direct response to Washington

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September 2026, delivering an 18-minute speech in New York that directly rejected characterizations made a day earlier by US President Donald Trump. Pezeshkian stated that his prepared speech was altered after Trump used the same podium on Tuesday to describe Iran as terrorist and threatened annihilation if no agreement ended the nearly seven-month war. The lone US representative in the hall walked out of the chamber shortly after Pezeshkian began speaking. During his remarks, Pezeshkian held up photographs of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and victims of missile strikes across Iran. He argued that Iran was defending itself against foreign aggression rather than initiating hostilities.

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.

Civilian casualties and war record

Pezeshkian focused much of his speech on attacks conducted by the United States and Israel against targets in Iran. He displayed images from a 28 February strike on an elementary school in Minab, where more than 150 people died, including more than 120 children, alongside strikes on a sports hall and adjacent school in Lamerd. A United Nations report found reasonable grounds to believe the strike on the Minab school constituted a war crime, while an Associated Press investigation identified evidence of at least one US missile striking the building. Pezeshkian maintained that Iranian military actions had avoided civilian populations throughout the conflict, though regional strikes have killed mariners and migrant workers. The same United Nations findings also determined that Iranian domestic crackdowns on internal protesters likely amounted to crimes against humanity.

We have been the victims of terrorism. Those who are terrorists and train and protect terrorists describe us as such. We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists.

Nuclear policy and regional waterways

Addressing security and atomic development, Pezeshkian reiterated that Tehran seeks peaceful nuclear technology rather than weapons. He pointed to Israel possessing nuclear arms while international inspectors focus inspections on Iranian facilities. Turning to maritime transit, Pezeshkian defended Iran's posture in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for international energy transit. He stated that outside powers could not expect unrestricted access to commercial corridors while using those same routes to conduct operations against Iranian territory. He cautioned that a global order where military power replaces legitimacy and sanctions replace diplomacy will push more states to rely entirely on unilateral force for protection.

We say clearly that we do not want nuclear weapons, and we do not want limitations on peaceful nuclear technology.

Sideline talks and diplomatic opening

Despite the sharp rhetoric from the podium, diplomatic channels showed initial movement on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Trump told reporters that his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held three hours of indirect discussions with Iranian officials in New York on Tuesday. Trump characterized the exchange as productive, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that Trump remained open to a direct meeting with Pezeshkian during the New York gathering. Iranian officials downplayed expectations of a swift breakthrough, maintaining that Tehran's core negotiating positions remained unchanged. Pezeshkian concluded by noting that security must be constructed cooperatively rather than imposed through unilateral coercion.