Published on: 2026-09-23
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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September 23, 2026 UN
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, speaking at the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, responded to the words of the US president, who called Iranians “terrorists.” “We are not terrorists. We only defended ourselves,” he said.
Pezeshkian said that Iran itself has become a victim of terrorism: he mentioned the assassination of the country’s supreme leader, attacks on a school and a gym where children were playing, as well as the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The president accused the US and Israel of strikes against universities, hospitals, and other civilian facilities.
Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran is strengthening its defenses so that bombings of its cities will not go unanswered, and it will not ask anyone’s permission to defend the country. “They have tested Iran’s resilience and realized that making it surrender is impossible,” he said. According to him, Iran does not seek nuclear weapons but will not give up the peaceful use of nuclear technologies in medicine, agriculture, industry, and energy.
He criticized the “double standards”: Israel has nuclear weapons, Pezeshkian said, Israel does not participate in the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) and does not allow inspectors on its sites, while Iran, which is under sanctions, is inspected. According to him, the sanctions primarily affect the most vulnerable members of society. He also accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and stated that durable peace in Western Asia is impossible without justice for Palestine.
Speaking about the Strait of Hormuz, Pezeshkian stated that other countries use this waterway while simultaneously using it to attack Iran and denying Iran itself access to it. According to him, the expansion of the war will not bring security, and the region’s problems should be resolved by its own states.
In conclusion to his speech, the president stated that Iran is ready for dialogue and negotiations, but does not accept the “language of force.” “We will never bow our heads or kneel,” he emphasized.
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