Iranian President Brands U.S. and Israel Aggressors in Defiant U.N. Address

United Nations | Sept. 23, 2026, 4:02 p.m. ET | 3 min read

His voice rising, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a blistering rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday from the same United Nations General Assembly podium where, 24 hours earlier, Trump had threatened to obliterate Iran.

“The U.S. president described us as terrorists,” Pezeshkian told assembled world leaders. “We have been victims of terrorism,” he added, before displaying photographs of Iranian schoolgirls killed in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28 — the day the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran.

Pezeshkian opened his address by holding up a portrait of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who was also killed in the opening day of strikes.

He swiftly turned his fire on Israel, Iran’s longtime adversary, characterizing its conduct in the Gaza war as genocide. He reiterated Tehran’s position that its nuclear program serves civilian purposes — “for progress, not to threaten societies with weapons.” Pezeshkian accused Israel of possessing a nuclear arsenal while escaping the international scrutiny and sanctions imposed on Iran. “The nuclear weapon is in Israel, but the inspectors are in Iran,” he said. Israel has long maintained a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying its arsenal, while pledging not to be the first to introduce such weapons to the region.

In his Tuesday address, Trump vowed never to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Preventing Tehran — which has threatened to destroy Israel — from developing a bomb was the stated primary objective for going to war.

Mike Segar/Reuters

The U.S. delegation’s seats at the United Nations sit empty as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the General Assembly, in New York, Sept. 23, 2026.

Pezeshkian cast Iran as a nation pursuing peace and stability, dragged into a war of self-defense by the U.S. and Israel, whom he labeled the true aggressors and sources of instability.

“They imposed the war on us, but we have proven we are not afraid of war,” he declared. “We will not bow our heads and give up the right inherently ours. We say clearly: no nuclear weapons and no limitations to nuclear technology.”

His remarks made no reference to Iran’s support for allies in the so-called “Axis of Resistance” — including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen’s Houthis — all designated as terrorist organizations by the United States.

Pezeshkian’s appearance in New York was historic on multiple fronts: it marked the first time a leader of a nation actively at war with the United States has attended the U.N. General Assembly. Domestically, he has faced criticism from hard-liners for his willingness to negotiate, and even for making the trip.

Underscoring the delicate balance he is attempting to strike, Pezeshkian concluded to applause in the hall: “We will never bow our heads or bend our knees. We are ready for dialogue, diplomacy and negotiations, but will never accept the language of force.”

Despite the fierce rhetorical exchanges, Trump confirmed that U.S. and Iranian representatives did meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering.

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