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Date: September 23, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
UNITED NATIONS — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused U.S. President Donald Trump of having a “bullying mentality” at the United Nations on Wednesday, saying Iran would not surrender in its war with the United States but remained open to diplomacy to end the conflict.
Speaking to the 193-member United Nations General Assembly in New York, Pezeshkian responded directly to Trump's address to the same gathering one day earlier. Trump had warned that he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if no agreement was reached to end the war.
Pezeshkian said threats and pressure would only strengthen Iran's determination to resist.
“The Iranian people will not bow to pressure,” he said, while accusing those who describe Iran as a terrorist state of themselves having supported or trained terrorists.
Despite his defiant remarks, Pezeshkian repeatedly said Iran was prepared to resolve its tensions with Washington through negotiations. He made clear, however, that Tehran would not accept diplomacy conducted through threats or the use of force.
The U.S. delegation walked out of the General Assembly hall at the beginning of Pezeshkian's speech. The U.S. mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pezeshkian began his address by accusing the United States of killing civilians during the war. He held up photographs that included an image of schoolgirls in a classroom.
Iranian officials say a missile strike on a primary school in Minab on February 28, hours after U.S. and Israeli attacks launched the conflict, killed more than 175 children and teachers.
The Pentagon has not publicly released the findings of its investigation into the Minab strike. Reuters reported on March 5 that an initial internal U.S. military investigation found U.S. forces were likely responsible for the strike.
The Iranian president also addressed his country's nuclear program. Pezeshkian said Iran had no intention of seeking nuclear weapons but would not surrender its right to peaceful nuclear technology.
“Neither nuclear weapons nor giving up nuclear knowledge,” he said.
His comments came seven months into a conflict that has shaken financial markets and pushed the Gulf region toward a wider confrontation. Iran is also facing growing economic pressure, including rising prices, weaker trade and pressure on household incomes.
A central issue in Pezeshkian's speech was the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed before the war.
The strait has become a major point of confrontation between Iran and the United States. Tehran has already conveyed conditions to Washington through mediators for reopening the strategic waterway.
Pezeshkian said Iran could not accept a situation in which other countries benefited from the Strait of Hormuz while Iran was denied access to shipping through it.
“It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway,” he said.
He added that the permanent deployment of what Iran considers hostile fleets and the expansion of the war would not lead to peace.
The speech came as Iranian and U.S. officials continued indirect diplomatic contacts. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was reviewing Washington's response to Iranian proposals for ending hostilities, including lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The official said Iran and the United States remained far apart on how to end the war but that diplomacy was continuing.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching an agreement with Iran would require difficult negotiations over time and that Trump continued to have military options.
Iranian officials have meanwhile maintained that the Strait of Hormuz will not be fully reopened unless Tehran's conditions are addressed.
The confrontation has also affected global oil markets. Oil prices rose on Wednesday as traders assessed Pezeshkian's remarks and the continuing uncertainty surrounding the conflict and diplomatic efforts.
Pezeshkian's appearance at the United Nations therefore delivered two messages from Tehran: Iran would not surrender under U.S. pressure, but it remained willing to pursue diplomacy to end the war.
The speech also demonstrated the continuing divide between Washington and Tehran, with Trump demanding changes from Iran and maintaining military pressure while Pezeshkian called for negotiations without what Tehran considers coercion.