Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant speech at the UN General Assembly, declaring Iran a victim of terrorism and emphasizing self-defense against aggression from the US and Israel. He extended an offer for dialogue and diplomacy, explicitly rejecting the use of force, and justified Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to denied shipping access and foreign fleet deployments. Pezeshkian's address followed threats from the US president and highlighted ongoing diplomatic channels mediated by Qatar.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant speech at the UN General Assembly, declaring Iran a victim of terrorism and emphasizing self-defense against aggression from the US and Israel. He extended an offer for dialogue and diplomacy, explicitly rejecting the use of force, and justified Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to denied shipping access and foreign fleet deployments. Pezeshkian's address followed threats from the US president and highlighted ongoing diplomatic channels mediated by Qatar.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant speech at the UN General Assembly, declaring Iran a victim of terrorism and emphasizing self-defense against aggression from the US and Israel. He extended an offer for dialogue and diplomacy, explicitly rejecting the use of force, and justified Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to denied shipping access and foreign fleet deployments. Pezeshkian's address followed threats from the US president and highlighted ongoing diplomatic channels mediated by Qatar.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who delivered a rare wartime speech at the UN General Assembly, took a defiant tone, asserting the Iranians are not terrorists but victims of terrorism.

Pezeshkian's remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to annihilate the Islamic regime in Tehran.

Holding up large photos of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and over 150 schoolchildren killed in the initial days of the conflict, the Iranian leader said, "We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists."

"Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. And we defended ourselves with utmost strength. America and Israel attacked us," he pointed out.

Mentioning his US counterpart by name, Pezeshkian said, "It must be understood by Mr Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force."

The Iranian president went on to claim that "we did not hit civilian populations." However, Iranian drone and missile attacks have killed several seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz as well as expatriates in the Gulf nations, including Indians.

Justifying Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, Pezeshkian said, "It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway. The permanent deployment of hostile fleets and the expansion of the war will not lead to peace," he said.

Earlier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said both sides had been engaged through a Qatari mediator and conveyed conditions, including an end to the war on all fronts and a halt to US "acts of aggression".

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