Iran’s Pezeshkian Defies Trump at UN While Leaving Door Open for Diplomacy

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a forceful condemnation of President Donald Trump, countering the US leader’s previous day threat to destroy Iran. Despite the harsh rhetoric, Pezeshkian indicated that Tehran remains open to diplomatic negotiations to conclude nearly seven months of conflict.

“The US president called us terrorists but we are the victims of terrorists,” Pezeshkian told the assembly. During his address, he displayed photographs of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike in February, and images of schoolgirls allegedly killed in an American air attack in Minab. “They hit us, but we did not bow our heads or bend the knee,” he stated.

The Iranian president warned that pressure and sanctions would only strengthen Iranian resistance. “[Trump] must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only grow in the face of sanctions and increased pressure and bullying,” he said. As Pezeshkian began his speech, officials from both the US and Israeli delegations walked out of the hall.

However, the relative centrist president also emphasized a path toward dialogue. “Iran extends its hands towards the world,” Pezeshkian said. “We invite the world and call to it, not out of weakness, but out of a deep belief in our own power and steadfastness to cooperate and collaborate out of a deep understanding that no one in this region will have security alone.”

The speech followed comments made by Trump on Tuesday, who described negotiations led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff as “very good” and “productive.” Trump expressed confidence that momentum was building toward an agreement, even as he reiterated his earlier threat during his own UN address. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” Trump asked.

Pezeshkian also addressed the naval blockade imposed by the US and Iran’s efforts to restrict trade through the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that Iran could not be expected to relinquish its independence from the waterway while simultaneously allowing the US to use it to escalate aggression against the country.

Analysts noted the dual nature of the address. Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, observed that while the speech contained familiar defiance, it clearly signaled Iran’s desire for a diplomatic off-ramp. She suggested Iran might show flexibility regarding a future agreement, potentially moving beyond the expired June Memorandum of Understanding that Trump has shown no interest in reviving.

Pezeshkian drew comparisons between the strikes on Iran and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, accusing the international community of hypocrisy. “They kill and we are sanctioned and we are punished,” he said.

Joey Hood, a former US ambassador to Tunisia, criticized the speech as a missed opportunity for concrete compromise. “Instead of coming to the United Nations with something new and bold, we heard the same things that we’ve heard before,” Hood said, adding that a specific peace proposal might have forced Washington to respond differently.