President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. AFP
Addressing world leaders at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Pezeshkian accused Israel and the United States of carrying out “brutal attacks” against Iran, saying the assaults undermined diplomacy and dealt a blow to regional peace.
“Would you approve of attacks on your facilities, the targeting of your journalists, and the killing of your scientists?” he asked assembled heads of state. “As you all witnessed, my country was subjected to brazen aggression during negotiations. This was a grave betrayal of diplomacy.”
The Iranian leader said the strikes had only strengthened what he called Iran’s “sacred national unity.” He described the Iranian people as resilient in the face of crippling US-led sanctions, “psychological and media warfare,” and efforts to sow division.
“The moment the first bullet was fired on their soil, Iranians united as one in support of their valiant armed forces,” he said.
Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran “has never sought, and will never seek, to build a nuclear bomb,” defending Tehran’s record as international pressure mounts over its nuclear programme.
Holding up photos of civilians he said were killed during a 12-day war, the president accused Israel of committing crimes against Iranian citizens. He also condemned what he called “criminal aggression” by Israel against Qatar, which he said killed both Palestinian and Qatari nationals. “We express our support and solidarity with the government and people of Qatar,” he added.
The president stressed that Iran, which he described as “the world’s oldest civilisation,” had weathered “the fierce storms of history” and would not bow to invaders. Despite his sharp rhetoric against Israel and the United States, Pezeshkian said Tehran welcomed “peace and stability” and wanted the region’s future to be built on “cooperation, trust, and shared development.”
He hailed a new defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as “a beginning for a comprehensive regional security framework” among Muslim nations in West Asia.
Turning to Ukraine, Pezeshkian said Iran hoped efforts to end the war would yield “a just and lasting agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and bring solace to this humanitarian crisis.”
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