NEW YORK (Diya TV) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian challenged President Donald Trump on Wednesday as the U.S.-Iran war entered its seventh month. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Pezeshkian blamed the United States and Israel for worsening global instability. He also accused both countries of attacking Iranian civilians and infrastructure.
Pezeshkian spoke one day after Trump delivered a sharp warning to Iran at the same forum. Trump said he faced a major choice between a deal with Tehran and military action that could destroy the Islamic Republic.
The exchange showed how far apart Washington and Tehran remain. However, U.S. and Iranian officials also held talks on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting. That contact offered a possible path back to diplomacy, even as both sides continued to issue threats.
Pezeshkian presented Iran as the victim of U.S. and Israeli military action. He rejected Trump’s claims that Tehran urgently wants a peace agreement.
NEW YORK (Diya TV) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected U.S. accusations against Tehran on Wednesday and vowed to continue defending Iran as the war with the United States approached its seventh month.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of killing Iranian civilians and damaging the country’s infrastructure. He said Iran had acted in self-defense and would defend its territory “until our last breath.”
Pezeshkian displayed photographs of people killed during the conflict, including schoolchildren who died in a Feb. 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab. U.N. experts have called for an independent investigation into the attack, which reportedly killed more than 160 children.
He also denied that Iran seeks nuclear weapons but defended its right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Washington says any agreement must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Pezeshkian spoke one day after President Donald Trump used his U.N. address to threaten further military action if the two countries fail to reach an agreement. Trump said he must decide whether to make a deal with Iran or “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.
Despite the public threats, the two governments exchanged messages Tuesday through Qatari mediators. Trump described the discussions as productive and said they lasted about three hours. Iran said the exchange lasted about two hours and produced no agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran demanded an end to U.S. military action and the naval blockade, the release of restricted Iranian assets and recognition of a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz negotiated by Iran and Oman.
Trump said Tuesday that he believed the two countries could reach a settlement but repeated that the United States would not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
