Pezeshkian’s UN address: Iran rejects U.S. threats, vows to fight ‘until our last breath’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York while Iran remains at war with the United States and Israel. The speech followed a U.S. presidential address in which President Donald Trump raised the possibility of "annihilating" the Islamic Republic if a diplomatic deal is not reached.

Pezeshkian framed Iran as a victim of terrorism by the United States. He called attention to Iranian civilian casualties early in the conflict, including more than 150 schoolchildren killed in the opening days, and displayed large photos of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei alongside those victims.

He rejected labels that portray Iran as the aggressor: "We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists," he said at the General Assembly. He accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran and added, "Yes they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee." Toward the end of the speech he named President Trump and said Iran is ready for dialogue "without accepting the language of force."

U.S. and Israeli officials condemned the address as hypocritical. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran lacks standing to lecture on human rights or the international system because, he said, Iran habitually violates them. The U.S. response underscored the diplomatic gulf between Tehran and Washington even as both sides engaged in limited contacts.

On the sidelines of the assembly, Trump told reporters that his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met indirectly with Iranian officials for about three hours. Trump described the meeting as "very good" but provided few details and said the Iranian participants were "not the highest level."

Iran's foreign ministry downplayed the meeting, calling it an indirect exchange conducted through Qatari mediators and insisting it did not alter Iran's bargaining position. Tehran reiterated demands that the United States lift its blockade of Iranian ports and release frozen Iranian assets.

Negotiations and the wider conflict

Pezeshkian's speech came after more than a year of starts and stops in negotiations between Iran and the United States. Intermittent attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz, and commercial shipping remained below prewar levels. The address followed a previous period of heavy losses for Iran, including the assassination of senior military and political figures during a 12-day Israel-Iran confrontation last year.

• Whether informal contacts at the U.N. lead to sustained, higher-level negotiations.
• Any changes in U.S. demands or Iranian preconditions, particularly over the blockade and frozen assets.
• Patterns of naval and commercial activity in the Strait of Hormuz, which remain a flashpoint for the conflict.

Pezeshkian used the U.N. platform to rebut U.S. threats directly and to claim moral legitimacy for Iran's wartime actions, while still signaling a willingness to talk — provided negotiations exclude coercive language and address Tehran's specific demands.